Thursday, March 19, 2020
Dear Church Family,
These are difficult and challenging days and I want you to
know that I am praying for each one of you as you deal in your own way with
this crisis that has gripped the world. My prayer is that the Church will shine
as a beacon of hope and faith and be an example of compassion, patience, and
calm.
My plan for this week was to take a few days off to serve my
wife and family, those plans have been modified, and I have been “working” from
home for the better part of each day, answering calls (I had opportunity to sit
in on the Christian radio station UCB for their Day of Prayer to take requests
and pray with callers). There have also been situations, and plans of action, that needed my attention. So, needless to say, the plans I had made
for this week have been slightly modified as He has directed my steps.
As I was preparing for praying with people who were going to
be calling in from UCB, I came across this in the Letter to the Hebrews; “Therefore,
since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken let us be thankful, and
so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming
fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29)
Because of our citizenship in God’s unshakable kingdom, A.W.
Tozer once said, “A scared world needs a
fearless church!” While it looks like things may be out of control, behind
the scenes we know there is a God who has not surrendered His authority one bit. I am much in agreement with Tozer, we absolutely need a
fearless church, the early church wasn’t known for stockpiling, or hoarding food and supplies for themselves and spreading
fear on social media. But, at the same time, we aren’t called to be an un-wise
church, but to be “wise as serpents and
innocent as doves”. Therefore our Leadership and I have made the decisions
we’ve announced because of our love for our neighbours and respect for those
whom God has put in authority.
However, even as we are following the mandates of our
governments and taking the precautions they have put forth, while we may not be at “church”,
it certainly doesn’t mean we have ceased to be the Church! Many of you are
making sure the needs of others are being met, you are volunteering in whatever
ways you can, and, as God supplies, you are continuing to give generously in
these uncertain times. I sincerely thank
you from the bottom of my glad and grateful heart!
We can be fearless because Jesus promises us, “And surely I am with you, to the very end
of the age.” It is wonderful to know that, in these dark and uncertain
times, our Lord Jesus Christ isn’t doing any social distancing. He is and will
be with us. He will meet with us. He will lead us. He will sustain us. He will
give us hope. We live in a world where millions are fed so much hype, we, the Body of Christ, are
commissioned to feed people the blessed Hope!
And in that, I am reminded that there is a much deadlier
virus that has made a greater impact on the world. It is the virus of sin. May
we be a community of people, that, in the midst of this pandemic, points others
around us who are “without hope, and without God in this world,” faithfully to
the Saviour who came to eliminate the deadly virus of sin.
In light of what we see, and what I’ve heard, especially on
the phone line of the UCB Day of Prayer, we should also be fervently
praying for victims and families, government
leaders, and front-line emergency services people and health care workers.
During these times of fear and uncertainty, let us show
ourselves to be a part of the unshakeable kingdom of our King of kings and Lord
of lords.
God bless,
Pastor Anthony