Out of care and responsibility to our country and community all services and activities for Sunday, March 15, have been cancelled.
Head over to my Facebook page for a brief accompanying video message.
Prayer
While we will not be gathering for worship at our campus, I’m asking each of us to observe a time of collective prayer at 10:00am on Sunday morning in our homes. Let the following verses be our guide in that time of prayer.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. – Philippians 4:4-9
These verses carry some important reminders to us as Christ-followers, in this unprecedented time. Discuss the following points as a family or call a friend to share how you want to be faithful to God in this time. Use these prayer points as you STOP with God.
- We walk by faith, not by fear.
- Not only do we seek God, but we find our strength, comfort, and even joy in all circumstances.
- Pray for people to come to know Christ and not fear.
- We have great opportunity to share our peace with others in practical ways.
- Pray for opportunities to share with someone who may be experiencing uncertainty and chaos and it has led to anxiety and worry.
- We walk with wisdom, not ignorance.
- This is a complicated issue and requires us to make individual and collective decisions that show care and concern for others.
- Pray for leaders in our country, our community, and our church as we make difficult decisions for the care and well-being of all.
- We can be an encouragement to others who are weary, disappointed, and even heart-broken over the changes going on in our culture. Let the wisdom of the Holy Spirit guide you in this time.
- Pray for the wisdom of health care workers who are giving much in this time.
- We walk with humility, not arrogance.
- We model the love of Christ, not by making statements that become divisive, but by making sacrifices that communicate the love of Christ.
- Don’t make this an ‘us versus them’, the spiritual vs. the nonspiritual. We are all facing this together. Seek to be God’s church with a humble spirit, not an arrogant entitlement.
- Be careful what you post on social media. It might seem funny to you, but incredibly insensitive to others. We are all in this together.
- We will all likely experience additional stress, grief, and disappointment in this time. Let’s be the light of Christ to others by speaking and doing what is right, and good, and true.
- Pray for a spirit of care and concern, not greed.
- Pray for opportunities to model the love of Christ.
- We model the love of Christ, not by making statements that become divisive, but by making sacrifices that communicate the love of Christ.
- This is a complicated issue and requires us to make individual and collective decisions that show care and concern for others.
- Not only do we seek God, but we find our strength, comfort, and even joy in all circumstances.
Above all pray for healing for our country in this health crisis. Our prayers should be prayers of physical healing for those who are sick and spiritual healing for those who don’t know Jesus Christ.
Let’s make it a priority to pray together at 10:00am on Sunday morning.
Further Updates
We will continue to assess the situation and update everyone about activities in the days ahead. Please check the website, LifeShare, and text alerts for the latest information.
Sharing Life, Sharing Christ…Together,
Pastor Dan
