We Live In Interesting Times
The Pastor’s Ruminations during the Coronavirus, COVID19

May 9, 2020

Dear Church Family, as I wrote on Wednesday, tomorrow for church I simply want to continue Pastor Davis’ theme of the past two weeks concerning where our heads are and where our hearts are during this COVID19 era. My challenge will be to have our security, our certainty, our hope in the proper place.

Meditate on Proverbs 14:26 and 27 and I Peter 4:7-11 to prepare your heart.

We will sing the song “For Such a Time as This” together. Linda Specht drew this song to my attention last week. It was written by a faithful Southern Baptist pastor a number of years ago. It is page 396 in your church hymnal. The lyrics are below. You will be able to sing along as the tune is “The Navy Hymn” or you know it as “Eternal Father Strong to Save.”

During this “safer-at-home” time that has been imposed upon us, it’s good for us to consider the background of this hymn. It’s written in light of Esther 4:14, recognizing that Queen Esther had been raised up for such a time as the Jews faced in Persia in the 5th Century BC. The Jews in the reign of Ahasuerus / Xerxes were not facing inconvenience, or even (just!) genuine hardship. They were facing annihilation. Mordecai encouraged his orphaned niece (or cousin) that she had likely been raised up “for such a time as this” and indeed, God did use her to protect His people.

I’m very tired of the COVID19 situation. I thank God it is not like Esther’s dilemma! We’re watching the wanton destruction of our economy, increasing inconveniences and more. But we’re not facing annihilation.

We need some perspective:

We live in a nation that celebrates what God condemns.

As I write this about 78,000 people have died in the United States who had COVID19 when they died. During the period they have died more than 3 times that many unborn babies have been killed in our country by abortion. Our own governor here in Wisconsin deemed abortion mills “essential businesses” that should stay open during the “safer-at-home” diktat.

We celebrate perversion and the dissolution and destruction of marriage in the name of “equal rights.”

We seek to remove any mention of God or absolutes from any public source, in the name of “separation of Church and state.”

We place feeling above facts and thus have competing “truths” based on what someone “feels.”

It’s no wonder we’re feeling God’s hand of disciple on our nation.

Now, the lyrics to “For Such a Time As This”

For such a time as this, O Lord,
we seek the gift of grace out-poured,
Upon Your people everywhere,
bowed down with sorrow, filled with care;
Now bless us, Lord, we humbly plead,
with grace sufficient for our need.

For such a time as this we ask
for strength that’s equal to our task,
That we may bear our cross of pain,
and through our sufferings triumph gain.
Our troubles then, shall not bring shame
but glory to our Saviour’s name.

For such a time as this, O Lord,
we pray for guidance from Your Word;
Your truth revealed from bygone age
still shines from every sacred page.
Its light for this day we would see;
from darkened minds, Lord, set us free.

For such a time as this abide,
be ever with us at our side,
To heal our hurts, to give us peace,
and from our burdens grant release.
Your presence guides us through the day
and leads us on our homeward way.

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Some reminders:

The church library is opened Mondays, 1:30-3; and Wednesdays, 11-1.

Harvest Outreach has continuing needs. You may drop your foodstuffs off at church during office hours Monday though Thursday.

There are at least four ways to keep up with your giving responsibilities:

Mail your offering to the church address
Use the tithe.ly app on your phone
Drop your offering off at church
Set up recurring giving through your bank

For your sake, call before you stop by the church office to see if someone is here.

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Our Missions update this week concerns Jacob and Melissa Honebein and family. They are speaking for themselves, a delight to me indeed!