Fall is my favorite time of the year. The temperatures begin to drop a little bit; the harvest of cane begins; the leaves in North Carolina are beautiful to behold as God changes their colors; and I am reminded once again of the seasons of life. This fall is a perfect time for all of us to rekindle our first love in Jesus Christ. The one who gave His life so that we might be reconciled to God and live eternally with Him. (John 3:16) The one and only one, who gives us hope.
In this life, we are going to have troubles, sickness, worry and strife. But we are called to set our eyes upon the one who defeated sin and death, Jesus Christ. It is high-time for us to return to church and the fellowship, prayer, and worship that makes worshipping God the richest of all human experiences. Think about it – our worship together is a celebration of the presence of God, our Creator, with His beloved creation.
I also understand our need as human beings to stay safe in the midst of a global pandemic that has shaken our world. We’ve taken every precaution to keep our worshipers safe.
With the launch of our E-ministry back in March of 2020, we have 50-60 folks and more tuning into ChurchOn-TheCouch.org where we stream live services and have recorded services for later viewing. We planned to do this as a part of our ministry but not quite as soon as we had to. But, as always, God made a way and our people responded to help us launch a new part of our ministry.
Additionally, we are learning to live with Covid 19 as we have with many other illnesses and diseases. And in a time when we see devastating fires, wind and rain events, sickness and other calamities all around – we need to be rooted and centered on our relationship with Jesus Christ now more than ever. As Reba McEntire sings, we gotta give this world back to God. And the giving back includes getting ourselves back to worshipping God.
Please understand that my focus on a return to worship is not because I’m the preacher and I want to see the pews full of folks worshipping God. Although as I write this, that doesn’t sound bad to me. LOL! Truthfully, it’s about your relationship with Jesus. Since the beginning of Christendom, two thousand years ago, people have been gathering together as congregations. Gathering in homes, in basilicas, in churches, temples, arenas, all to worship the only one worthy of our worship.
Being a Christian calls us to walk down a particular path in life. We are called to a life of certain disciplines that include prayer, fasting, reading scripture, singing hymns and worship songs, and meditating on the things and Word of God – daily, not just on the Sabbath. God calls us to take the Sabbath Day. Exodus 20:8 reminds us; 8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Please my friends, honor God in this way. Do with the Sabbath what God intended for us to do with it. There is no better time to get BACK TO WORSHIP. While you’re at it, please invite your neighbor, friend or co-worker to attend church with you.
God loves you and so do I.
Pastor Jeff