Apr 24
2020
On What is Most Loving
Everyone has an opinion about how to confront the COVID-19 pandemic. Conspiracy theories abound regarding the motives of decision-makers but, apart from those who believe the earth is flat, I am convinced that the "powers that be" are doing their best to do what they believe is best. Every decision-maker has a definition of best, and everyone impacted by their decisions have an opinion on what is lacking in their definitions. What is best medically? What is best educationally? What is best socially? What is best politically? What is best economically? The list goes on.
The trauma of COVID-19 has become part of our story.
The chapter is not yet completed, so time will tell what the "theme" of this chapter is and what role it plays in our overall story. It is a strange chapter so far, full of both extended passages of tremendous evil as well as beautiful narratives of goodness. One theme that seems to be coming through has something to do with unity. 
In a world where we are told what is "essential", Jesus reminds us of the one truly essential thing.
Why do we exist? The pursuit of an answer to this universal WHY question reveals our deep need for meaning in life. We wrongly, but naturally, attempt to find our ultimate purpose in what we do as individuals and as the church. In truth, what we do is a product of who we are. We are saved by Jesus and sent by Jesus.
The best way to teach your family to pray, is to model it. Jesus taught his disciples to pray for themselves. His lesson is recorded in Matthew 6.9-13. I challenge you to commit to praying for 21 days the following, after Jesus instruction:
The Scripture tells us that if draw near to God, he promises draws near to us. And he does, especially in these extended quiet times. But even when that happens, many discover that even with God there remains, at times a emptiness...a distance...a loneliness. It seems we may need something more than God.
I realize that to suggest that we need something more than God may sound heretical. This is not to suggest that God is somehow insufficient in himself. It doesn't speak of God's insufficiency at all, but our own. 
Thank you for your faithfulness during this unique moment in our region’s history. Many will be tempted to ask: “What is the church doing to help the community?". As a reminder, the church is not a building or a program, it is a people that gathers AND scatters. In other words, the church is YOU! As the people of God, we have a confidence that Jesus is King over Satan, Sin, deadly viruses, and death itself. But that confidence is not given so that we can hide away, rather, we are called to be salt and light. That begins by loving one another and overflows into loving our neighbors.