I was reflecting today on the past year-and-a-half that we have been through with covid. The struggle, the sickness, the loss. The rancor, divisiveness and stress. The setback and disruption it has been to our lives and our ministry are something I never would have imagined. And I think it goes without saying that none of us would have chosen this. But what I was thinking about today is that while I did not choose to go through this, I can choose how I respond. That is true in so many areas of life, isn't it? We sometimes find ourselves in situations or circumstances that we never would have chosen, but we still get to choose how we will respond.
Whether it is covid or some other difficult situation that we go through, we can respond with hurt or anger or bitterness. We can respond with discouragement, despair or concession. We can withdraw or we can take our pain out on others. Or we could choose an entirely different path. We can choose to treat others with love and compassion, knowing that they are going through their own struggles, just like we are. We can respond with hope and optimism, believing that our God is still greater than any struggle we face and that He will bring us through this. We can choose to respond by being a voice of peace and reconciliation in the midst of division. We can choose to be light in the darkness of a very difficult season.
The bad news is that we are living through one of the most difficult seasons in recent memory. The good news is that we get to choose how we will respond to it. Personally, I choose to respond, to the very best of my ability, with love, kindness, patience, compassion, peace and hope. As Christ followers, my prayer is that we would set the example for the rest of the world by responding, as best we can, in a way that reflects the Christ within us and shares his love in this hurting world.
Before I sign off, I want to lift up a couple of other things. First, we could use as many hands as possible for a project on Saturday morning. You may know, that we've had some setbacks with the town on the construction of our Pavilion in Plaistow. So, for the time being, we need to restack the trusses to get them off the ground. They are not terribly heavy, but it takes many hands to move him. If you are free on Saturday morning we could use your help. We will start at 9 a.m. and I anticipate it will take us no more than 30 minutes. If you can help, please email me.
Also, this Sunday is Veterans Day weekend and we will be taking time at all services to express appreciation to all who have served and to pray for those on active duty. We will also be continuing our teaching series “The Temple” with my favorite message of the entire series. So you will not want to miss this service.
I look forward to us being together this weekend. If you are not able to join us in person, I would certainly invite you to join us on the live stream.
Love you all,
Pastor Steve