The past seven or so months have played tricks with our souls and minds. We think we remember the winter—when we knew where we were, who we were, and how to live. Our daily rhythms grounded us. Our workplaces, schools, churches, wherever—life outside the home helped us identify who and where in time and space we belonged.
For most of us, we always returned home but some of our identity was not just grounded at “home.” The early days of working from home were thought to be temporary as we waited—to return to normal.
Over half a year later, fall is here, and days, even months have passed. We have waited, adapted, zoomed, re-oriented, turned dining room tables into office space, and turned kitchen tables into homework desks. We have done the dance of staying close and venturing out, wearing masks and pulling them away when we are in close proximity to another of our kind. We try to relocate ourselves in the vast contaminated, fiery, flooded bubble called earth. We have changed our understanding of home or homelessness, of work and no work, of play and where we play, of how we listen to music, how we spend our hours, how we cook, what we eat, how we pray.
Are we tired? YES! Are we anxious? YES! If we’re honest, maybe a little self-absorbed? Probably! So, what should we be doing in response to all that we’re experiencing right now?
Well, as I have been saying in the past several Sunday’s sermons, we need to stay calm, stay connected & stay the course. I hope that we’ve really been able to listen and absorb the messages. We need to be intentional in our spiritual growth and persevere through our trials in these un-certain and trying times. Friends, let’s please don’t waste the opportunities we have in front of us to learn and grow. Instead, let’s allow God to use our trials to draw us closer to him and each other; to learn things we might not have learned any other way (Romans 8:28; Hebrews 12:11; James 1:2-5).
Don’t forget that there are many ways that we can do that this fall. If we haven’t done so already, let’s prayerfully discern how the Spirit is calling us to engage with God and our church family. Let’s stay active and alert to what God is wanting us to learn about ourselves, about him, and about our calling to be the church despite the safety measures we have to put in place be-cause of the pandemic.
There is no better time or opportunity than right now to discover how we’re called to function and grow through cultivating our faith in the intimate and personal spaces of the church. Instead of continuing to grieve or be inconvenienced or frustrated by the loss of our familiar public wor-ship services, like Wednesday Night Life or Sunday School, let’s ask each other- Can we just talk to God about that? Why? Because He is the best, and maybe the only, one to bring us peace, comfort, and assurance during these difficult days.
May God continue to bless our Homestead Church as we keep our hand to the plow and follow Jesus toward God’s good future. Have a great October, church!