Lent Reflection #29: From a Pastor Friend
This posted on FB by a friend who pastors in Illinois.
"One Shining Moment"; that is the theme of the annual March Madness Tournament. Except for this year. The tournament is cancelled, of course.
But there can still be a shining moment. I believe the church has so much to offer during this time of distress and uncertainty. We can fulfill Jesus' words to be a light to the world. Or, as Paul put it, to "shine like stars" in a night sky. (Phil. 2:15)
Ed Stetzer, executive director of the Billy Graham Center, wrote:
"While frightening, this virus represents a rare window for the church. Whether due to politicization or cultural trends, the phrase “evangelical Christian” has seen better days. Throughout it all, I have always maintained that when the chips are down, evangelicals will lead the way in serving and caring for others in the moments of crisis....We have reached that time when we are either going to live up to our words or we must stop talking about kingdom mission and evangelism. How we respond to this crisis will go a long way to determine if there is an evangelicalism moving forward."
Is this your desire? I hope so. How do we actually do this? Three things:
First, we can be consistent voices of calmness, peace and hope. Both at home and on social media, we can model what it means to have hope in a good God (whose goodness goes beyond the things of this present life).
Second, we can seek out those who are vulnerable (in this case, the elderly, the infirm, and the poor) in order to help them. This might be something as simple as picking up the phone, offering to buy and deliver groceries, or something more involved, like serving at the Inter-church food pantry or helping deliver meals for the food corporation.
Third, our church will be helping in providing meals for the staff at the Covid Response Team at Johnson Memorial Hospital. The staff in this unit will not be able to go to the cafeteria (or to leave the unit at all) during their shift. We will be buying meals at local restaurants and delivering them to this unit, starting Monday. Instead of asking people to prepare food in their homes, we are asking for donations to fund this. Would you consider donating to this? Details will go out in a separate email. Giving in the face of uncertainty is a precious act of faith in God.
Through all this, let us have a mission mindset, not a bunker mindset. Let's be the ones who pick up the phone, who work to distribute food to the needy, who write the checks. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-control." (2 Timothy 1:7)
One final word for Ed Stetzer:
"I can’t promise that being missional in the midst of a crisis will not come with a cost. Many Christians who ministered in the midst of plague or who gave of their resources even in the famine throughout church history paid with their lives. I don’t say this to induce panic and I recognize that it may cause hesitation. ....But my point is to draw out attention to the reality that we don’t serve because of an earthly reward because our hope is secure in heaven. This act of giving even as great personal cost is an act of faith, only doable through the power of God’s spirit working in the life of a believer. Begin to pray now that you might be ready to step up and live out your faith when the time comes."
"One Shining Moment"; that is the theme of the annual March Madness Tournament. Except for this year. The tournament is cancelled, of course.
But there can still be a shining moment. I believe the church has so much to offer during this time of distress and uncertainty. We can fulfill Jesus' words to be a light to the world. Or, as Paul put it, to "shine like stars" in a night sky. (Phil. 2:15)
Ed Stetzer, executive director of the Billy Graham Center, wrote:
"While frightening, this virus represents a rare window for the church. Whether due to politicization or cultural trends, the phrase “evangelical Christian” has seen better days. Throughout it all, I have always maintained that when the chips are down, evangelicals will lead the way in serving and caring for others in the moments of crisis....We have reached that time when we are either going to live up to our words or we must stop talking about kingdom mission and evangelism. How we respond to this crisis will go a long way to determine if there is an evangelicalism moving forward."
Is this your desire? I hope so. How do we actually do this? Three things:
First, we can be consistent voices of calmness, peace and hope. Both at home and on social media, we can model what it means to have hope in a good God (whose goodness goes beyond the things of this present life).
Second, we can seek out those who are vulnerable (in this case, the elderly, the infirm, and the poor) in order to help them. This might be something as simple as picking up the phone, offering to buy and deliver groceries, or something more involved, like serving at the Inter-church food pantry or helping deliver meals for the food corporation.
Third, our church will be helping in providing meals for the staff at the Covid Response Team at Johnson Memorial Hospital. The staff in this unit will not be able to go to the cafeteria (or to leave the unit at all) during their shift. We will be buying meals at local restaurants and delivering them to this unit, starting Monday. Instead of asking people to prepare food in their homes, we are asking for donations to fund this. Would you consider donating to this? Details will go out in a separate email. Giving in the face of uncertainty is a precious act of faith in God.
Through all this, let us have a mission mindset, not a bunker mindset. Let's be the ones who pick up the phone, who work to distribute food to the needy, who write the checks. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-control." (2 Timothy 1:7)
One final word for Ed Stetzer:
"I can’t promise that being missional in the midst of a crisis will not come with a cost. Many Christians who ministered in the midst of plague or who gave of their resources even in the famine throughout church history paid with their lives. I don’t say this to induce panic and I recognize that it may cause hesitation. ....But my point is to draw out attention to the reality that we don’t serve because of an earthly reward because our hope is secure in heaven. This act of giving even as great personal cost is an act of faith, only doable through the power of God’s spirit working in the life of a believer. Begin to pray now that you might be ready to step up and live out your faith when the time comes."
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