Dear Church Family,
The times, they are a changing. I am not going to be an alarmist, but neither will I fail to pay attention to the Bible’s warnings. In Matthew 24:37 Jesus told us: “As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be.” What does that mean during these days of Coronavirus and earthquakes (Salt Lake City)? Honestly, I have no definite answers. But it is important that God’s people consider our response to life in an environment that is different than anything we’ve ever experienced.
During the “Days of Noah,” God gave people an incredible amount of “Amazing Grace.” That grace is alive and well today. Because we live in the ‘days of grace,’ we are very blessed to be able to call upon the name of the Lord and experience that grace firsthand. I’m sure each of us have experienced that grace. The variable though, is our response to God. He is faithful, even during days such as these, when bread and toilet paper are in high demand. Certainly, there is a temporary “NEW NORMAL.” Our proper response is laid out for us in II Chronicles 7:14, “(If) …my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and HEAL THEIR LAND.” (Emphasis mine.). To me, it becomes clear, that we, who are Jesus followers look at our own lives to recognize and then repent of any known sin. The thing we must be careful not to do is overlook our sin, no matter how ‘small’ it may seem. I know you are all wonderful people, but remember, even Peter had to confess sin, as did Paul. I will certainly be looking at my life and doing some confessing and repenting. Also, as the Church of the living God, it is incumbent on us to continue to faithfully make our Lord’s Good News available to all. The methods of doing this may be new and different, but we must continually do our best to proclaim His magnificent love and grace.
As you know, Pastor Ryan and I have been contacting you by phone, and your church staff will continue to do so. Please remember too, that we are “On call” today, and every day during these days of quarantine, even as we have been in days gone by. You can call us at the office, or on our cells, you can email or text. If you have prayer requests, we will take them seriously, and we will pray. Obviously, in these days of quarantine, and government regulations about social distancing, and group meetings, we will have to adapt. That’s exactly what we are seeking to do until we can get back to our regular procedures.
Finally, you will be hearing from us on a fairly regular basis, and remember, God responds to our faithfulness with His own incredible faithfulness. We all want to practice generosity with our friends and neighbors and with our Church family. Nancy and I will continue to faithfully give to the ministry of Church 213, and I hope you will trust God in this area as well. He does want to open the windows of heaven and pour out His blessing on you. I am thrilled to anticipate His blessings.
We do miss you and long for the time we can meet together in worship and fellowship once again. Until that time comes though, be certain of this: Your church is still your church, and we are still serving our Lord.
In Jesus’ love,
Pastor Stan
