Stronger Than Ever

Well, Easter is over.  It was a different Easter, to be sure.  We were not able to have a big crowd in church--in fact, we did not have anyone in church, other than the people necessary to make the livestream work.  We did not have the big family gatherings we usually have.  In fact, some of you may have spent Easter alone.

The pastor-y thing to say, of course, is that you were not really alone, that God was with you.  And of course, that’s true, and you know that.  And it helps.  But still, it does not really take the place of having your loved ones around you.  

We’re in an unusual situation right now.  We cannot do a lot of the things we usually do.  We cannot go the places we usually go.  We cannot see the people we usually see.  And it’s hard.  And all we can do is try to make the best of it.

I will say that one thing that has been nice for me is to see the number of people who’ve stepped up to help out around the church.  We livestream our services over the internet now, and they’re recorded and are available on the Venture communications cable system the next day.  It takes people to get that done, and people have stepped up and done it.  And others have stepped up to help us try to figure out how to make those broadcasts better.  Our Sunday school and Faith Builders teachers have stepped up, making sure the kids still get some Christian education.  Still others, have helped out in other ways, figuring out ways to try to keep our congregations connected and try to spread the word about prayer concerns.  And still others have stepped up their giving, knowing that without in-person worship we cannot pass the plate around, and so we do not have as much money coming in.

What it shows, once again, is that we have some awesome people around here.  And it’s not just the people of the United Methodist church, either.  Those are, for the most part, the ones I’m aware of, but I’m sure people in other churches, in all three of our communities, are stepping up, too.  

It’s easy to get down on people.  We watch the news, and it seems like all we see is the bad things that happen in the world.  After a while, we start to get the impression that most people are bad.  But it’s not true.  Most people are good.  Most people are doing their best to live good lives.  And when bad things happen, a lot of times you see people step up and do even better than what they thought was their best.  This is one of those times, and it’s pretty cool to see.

God made human beings to be incredibly adaptable.  We are adapting to this situation.  And we will continue to adapt.  We will not only survive this, we will thrive.  We will come out of this stronger than ever.  Because that’s how God made us.  And, since God made us that way, God will help us become stronger than ever.  Because that’s who God is.

I hope you had a happy Easter.  We will get through this.  Hang in there.  Know that you are in our prayers.  Best wishes always.