Words of Encouragement
from Parishioners Rachel and Peter Martens
Peter and I felt sadness and uncertainty when our eight-year-old son, Peter Nathaniel, learned he wouldn’t return to his school following spring break. The end of second grade would look nothing like the beginning, a source of great disappointment for our enthusiastic extrovert! I wanted to present him with a fun art project that would also provide some spiritual comfort during the major transition to learning from home.
Together, we sketched out a poster of 1 Corinthians 16:13–14 as it is found in the New English Translation. The apostle Paul’s long-ago words to the church in Corinth felt perfectly applicable to pandemic living: “Stay alert, stand firm in the faith, show courage, be strong. Everything you do should be done in love.” The three of us chipped away at filling in the outlined letters with bright colors. We said the verses together at mealtimes to plant them in our memory. Initially, we hung the finished poster over the desk area where Peter Nathaniel completed his schoolwork. After a few weeks, the poster migrated to the back of our front door and remains there as a reminder to all of us. 

How can we apply these words o to our present circumstances? 
Stay alert: When we ignore what is happening in our community, country, and world, these verses exhort us to pay attention instead. 
Stand firm in the faith: When our Sundays threaten to look just like any other day, these verses remind us to keep the Sabbath, even if our corporate worship happens virtually. 
Show courage: When we notice fear rising in our hearts, these verses remind us that we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to lead intrepid lives in the face of daunting challenges. 
Be strong: When we grumble in our exhaustion, these verses remind us of our strength in Christ. 
Everything you do should be done in love: When we are tempted to respond to a social media post with sarcasm or biting words, these verses remind us that even (especially?) our virtual interactions should demonstrate Christian love. 
We don’t know how long we’ll be living through a pandemic. When Peter Nathaniel asks us about what school will be like in the fall or what changes will be made to our annual travel plans, we answer honestly: we just don’t know. Even so, we are comforted knowing that God is with us and God is very much at work in the world around us. We can still love our neighbors and our enemies in “contactless” ways. Pandemic or not, we hope you too find motivation from 1 Corinthians 16:13–14: “Stay alert, stand firm in the faith, show courage, be strong. Everything you do should be done in love.”

— Rachel and Peter Martens 
  • As we begin to relaunch our in-person liturgies and ministries, CSMSG's Words of Encouragement will move from daily installments to weekly. The clergy and staff have enjoyed sharing their hearts with the parish each day since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and connecting with many of you through your responses. You can look for the weekly Words of Encouragement each Wednesday beginning July 1. 

  • Please register to attend this Sunday's in-person worship services on the home page of our website. Please register by midnight on Friday.

  • The Zoom coffee hour will not take place this Sunday.

  • Be sure to download the Sunday Morning Prayer service leaflet posted on the web so that you can participate in the liturgy. We join with one voice in the Worship of the living God.  

  • Be on the look out for a phone call from Church Receptionist Becky Arthur or other staff members, as we update our Realm directory.