And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. – 1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV
The green room at church is the place where our church worship team hangs out before service. In the green room, we have this chalkboard that lays out the service plan. I haven’t been in there for months, but this past Thursday, I happened to walk in and see this message:
It was our plan for March 15th. This was the first Sunday we stopped having in-person services. The moment hit me hard. We have been through a lot in the past 3 plus months. COVID, lockdown, slumping economy, and protests. Oh, and I almost forgot the “murder hornets”. But with all the challenges we have faced, we have never lost our faith. In fact, I would argue, that most of us have become closer to God than we have ever been. I know for myself, this slowdown has given me a moment to stop, breath, and pray.
Is it difficult that we can’t go to a restaurant or a movie theater? Yes. Does it bother me that I am in “lockdown”? Of course, it does. But I am also appreciating the fact that I am not going through this alone. I have friends I can talk to. My Lifegroup has been so encouraging and supportive. There are so many great things happening. I see people, who have never known Jesus, starting to hear his word and our online numbers skyrocketing. We are even opening up a new campus in Seneca and building out our House Campuses. I know that Jesus is reaching out to more and more people every day because I can see it happening.
What I am trying to express, is that throughout all of these worldly challenges of the past few weeks, I still have my faith, I still have hope and I still have love. I would encourage everyone who is reading this to spread the word of Jesus. Show your love for him. Bring people into a relationship with Jesus. If there was ever a time for Christians to be loving to our fellow man, this is the time. Love is the greatest gift.
