Restoration Blog

Fearelss, Hopeful and Helpful - Part 2 While we see clearly that we are not to fear death, we also see in Scripture that we have gospel-centered reasons to participate in the efforts to preserve lives. The reasons we see in Scripture for working to preserve lives are all rooted in love for others. Jesus said that the second greatest commandment is to love our neighbors, and Christians who work to preserve lives are often doing so in fulfillment of this commandment. Let’s consider the reasons that Christians have for helping to preserve lives.

Fearless, Hopeful and Helpful - Part 3 We see in Scripture that we should not fear death and we see that we have Christ honoring reasons to help preserve lives. As we make efforts to preserve lives, we are called to look for opportunities to labor for the gospel. With this in mind let’s consider how we can apply these truths to our lives in the midst of the current pandemic.

Dear church family, As many of you know, Governor Inslee issued a statewide mandate requiring facial coverings in public, which is set to take effect on Friday, June 27th. The statewide mandate requires people over the age of 5 to wear face coverings generally while they are in any indoor or outdoor public space. Masks will not be required outdoors when people can stay more than 6 feet apart from each other, while indoors at home with others, or while alone in a vehicle. Unlike previous requirements, there appears to be no discrepancies between the application of this mandate for businesses and churches.

We are 10 days into Phase 2. Some churches have not decided to meet yet. Some of the churches who have begun to gather are following very few recommendations, many are following most, and several are following none of them in accord with their respective consciences. Our elders are taking a measured approach, evaluating each week and seeking to discern what is right, wise, and safe. We do not expect every church nor Christian to agree in this regard; but we do expect everyone to exercise the kind of forbearance--for the purpose of love and unity--that Paul details in Romans 14 as we each make decisions.

There are always two ditches on the sides of every road. These ditches usually represent extremes we want to avoid but, on occasion, find ourselves stuck in. There are all kinds of roads with their different ditches: religion and irreligion, self-indulgence and self-righteousness, or even "blow-anger" and "no-anger", etc. Our hope is to navigate the tension of the middle, whether it is walking the line of the gospel, self-denial, or "slow- anger" just as Jesus did.

It goes without saying that our world is broken and full of injustice. As leaders in our homes and pastors in this church, we work hard discern what injustices to address, when to address them, and even how. Rather than hastily post our reactions on social media, as our world is prone to do, we feel it is important to be slow and deliberate in our responses so as to be helpful to those in our care.

Making decisions can be hard, especially when things are not black and white. Decisions in the gray often generate deeps feelings of ambivalence where two options appear equally positive and negative. Our current pandemic has created a very gray environment. Not only has number of decisions we have to make been exponentially increased, the process of decision-making has been exponentially complicated. All people, be it pastors, parents, or parishioners, are trying to make the best decisions they can with limited or incomplete information. Decision making is hard in itself, decision-making in the gray is even harder.

In recent weeks, I have had more than one conversation about how this COVID-19 pandemic is negatively impacting the church. Every new restrictions brings two new conspiracies and three new opinions. Sides are being chosen, teams are being made, post are being "liked" and people are being "unfriended."

Brothers and sisters in Christ, I pray that this letter finds you trusting in the goodness of God’s purposes and hoping in the certainty of God’s promises. It has been over a month since our last update concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. Since that time, various social restrictions have expanded, and stay-at-home orders have been extended multiple times. In our first update following the initial shutdown, we expressed our great hope to resume gathering on Easter Sunday. As you know, this did not come to pass. In compliance with our government’s orders, we have chosen to gather virtually for the safety of ourselves and our community. While we are thankful for the technology that makes connection possible, we all recognize the relational deficiencies of this medium.

Even if we have not been exposed TO Covid-19, we have all be exposed BY it. As time goes on, who we truly are and what we truly believe is being revealed. All suffering and trials do this. Paul Tripp in his book, Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands rightly notes: "We don't radically change in a moment of trial. No, trials expose what we've always been. Trials bare things which we otherwise would have been blind to."