Our posture through this pandemic is to be the church--that is, the people of God who reflect the hope of the gospel however we can. In spite of having to make some adjustments, we look for ways to continue on that will encourage one another and be a blessing to others. What do I mean by “be a blessing to others?" I mean doing things that say to others, “you are cared for.”

This past Monday, the family of Fred Gowen gathered at the church for his funeral, and then on Tuesday, the family and friends of Dorman Ray gathered at the church for his. The weight of loss and its attendant grief combined with sleeplessness is difficult enough. The additional burden of this pandemic causes the making of arrangements to become even more difficult. People carry heavy burdens.

But as those gathered in grief, they came into a Gathering Space and a Worship Center where care was displayed. On Sunday afternoon, dozens of you came together and helped decorate both spaces for Christmas. You may have thought that while this pandemic has taken many things away, it is not going to take away Christmas. You may have thought that the hanging of the greens and the lights will be a fitting expression of our desire to carry on with the things that we can. What I saw on Monday morning and then Tuesday morning was weary families gathering who were welcomed by a setting that had been carefully appointed in a way that was both fitting and comforting. In that way, you cared for people who needed care. They wanted to honor their loved ones, and you helped them do that.

So, once again, thank you to those of you who keep the grounds looking so good, who help with the maintenance of the building, and who help decorate, particularly this past Sunday afternoon. Nicely lit settings do not replace the gospel, but in our culture, they can certainly adorn it. The funerals of these two men were both occasions for the love of the church and the love of God, through the gospel of Christ, to be declared.

Thank you also for your many prayers on my behalf. The underlying cause of my trips to the E.R. and attendant difficulties is an enlarged prostate. My doctor told me that there is no cancer in my prostate or bladder, and that a surgical procedure can address this with a rather quick recovery (like a day or two). I am scheduled for surgery on December 14th. I began this paragraph by saying, “Thank you also for your many prayers on my behalf,” and I want to repeat that to simply remind you how grateful I am and how grateful others are when we pray for one another. There were a number of challenging, lonely, and uncertain times that the Lord brought me through in ways that I attribute directly to your prayers. I am prideful. I always want to be the one caring for and praying for others, rather than being cared and prayed for, but the Lord has chosen to let me be the recipient of needed mercy. This mercy comes through your prayers. It is a sweet mercy. This pandemic has sidelined some things, but it cannot sideline our most potent weapon of prayer. In fact, in many ways, it has served to help all of us pray all the more.

Finally, we are going to have a Christmas Concert. Really! (December 13th at 3:00 PM) We cannot have a choir this year, but we can still sing safely. We cannot have a full-blown orchestra, but we can still make music and not miss the chance to celebrate the coming of Christ. We are doing this concert fully recognizing that many of you, if not most of you, will choose to watch it on our YouTube channel. Some of you will come and do so safely. The concert will not be all that we would like for it to be, but it will be all that we can do. It will be another expression of our love for Christ, our desire to serve our church and others with the gift of music that adores our Lord, and our determination to press on with joy.

Let us adore Him,

Bob