A WORD FROM THE PASTOR…..“Don’t worry about anything: instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and give thanks for all God has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. God’s peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
Dear Friends in Christ,
What a week this has been! I know that many of us as still reeling as we try to process the events that took place on Wednesday, January 6th in our nation’s capital. I know that some of us are have “flashbacks” to other times in our lives, especially relating to our country, as we remember the attack on Pearl Harbor, the assassinations of President Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr and Robert Kennedy, the violence that erupted in our country during that time and as part of the anti-Viet Nam War movement, 9/11…and other dramatic events in our nation’s past. Though we have been blessed with many years of relative peace in our country, this past year has made it clear that violent forces exist within our country today. I never really saw this as a political issue and still don’t. As a pastor and a Christian, I want to address this reality from a faith perspective and I know that you and many others do, too. So, my first response on January 6th as I heard and watched the news unfold was to pray. Then, as you know, a prayer was quickly written and sent out to you through our church message system. That prayer was also shared on our Facebook page and I am overwhelmed as I tell you more than 2,200 people viewed the prayer as of Thursday afternoon, with about 500 shares. Clearly, people in our community and beyond also long for spiritual help during this time and are looking for guidance in how to face the times we live in.
As you know, I asked for us to join together in prayer – remotely – at 8 am and/or 8 pm during the early days of this pandemic as we focused on the safety and protection of our community, our nation and our world. Now, I have again called for 8 am and/or 8 pm prayer as we confront the divisions and violence in our country. Pastor Jeff Staples of the First Baptist Church saw the Facebook post and contacted our office to let us know that he and his congregation will join us in our prayers for the nation and at our specified prayer times. This is a wonderful first step to finding a way to meet the challenge as Christians united in our purpose to share the good news of Jesus through the message of peace. I hope others congregations and individuals will join us, as well.
Though we may feel anger or despair over our present reality, our answers to these events must come from Christ’s example and that example is one of peace. So how do we that, we might ask? Well Paul wrote his letter to the Christians of Philippi from prison, not long before his execution in Rome. Yet, the book is full of love, hope, joy (lots of joy!) and peace. How is that possible? How could this man, suffering in prison find the strength to express the gifts of Christ to his dear friends and fellow believers in Philippi? I urge you to make time to read this letter and to remember what the world was like when it was written. Christians were outsiders, struggling to share the gospel and to survive in a hostile world. There was violence all around them and their lives were at risk, yet Paul proclaims his love for his prison guards and his joy as some of them convert to the faith! He tells his Christian friends to remain true to the example of Jesus who humbled himself – even taking on the misery of human life ending in the cross – to demonstrate God’s love for the world. And he reminds them to pray and to give thanks for all they have been given in order to receive the gift of peace to face their challenges (See the passage above).
To me this means that now is the time for us to pray and pray even more as we give thanks for all the God has done, is doing and will do for us. And I also believe now is the time for each of us to deepen our spiritual practices. As we are still unable to worship together, it is even more important to worship God at home. We need to be certain that our faith is strong so we are ready for whatever lies ahead. Just as we exercise to build muscle, this is the time to exercise and build faith-strength. Daily prayer, reading the scriptures, a rich devotional life are as essential to our spiritual health as eating nourishing food is for our bodies. This is not the time to allow ourselves to be spiritually starving! Strong Christian voices are needed now more than ever.
I will be working with our Church Council and committee chairs/coordinators to develop a plan to keep us even more closely connected during this pandemic while we are unable to gather at church. For your daily devotions, I urge you to set a time that works for you – early in the morning or at the end of each day to pray and to read the scriptures (starting with the Letter to Philippians). Let us join together to become warriors for peace – prayer warriors for Christ so that we too may have the joy, hope, love and peace that passes all our understanding – whatever the new days bring.
You are in my prayers as I ask for yours. I love you and I need you to survive.
Peace,
Pastor Betsy
Pastor Ott is presently at half-time hours which means she will be in the church for Sunday worship and in the office on average two times a week, usually on days when there are meetings. Friday is usually sermon preparation day, at home.
Pastor’s Office hours this week: Monday 1/11 and Wednesday 1/13. Friday 1/15 is the scheduled recording session for Sunday worship.
The office is open 9am to 3 pm Monday through Friday, weather permitting. Please call ahead if you have questions or need assistance.
We welcome updates on church ministries and timely reports for our weekly update. This information must be in not later than Friday afternoon or at the start of office hours on Monday to be included on that day.
