Good morning…
As we wake on the final Sunday of July 2020, our minds meander toward fall. Masks. Social distancing. Balancing our need for safety with our craving for human contact. This will be an audacious autumn. In the shadow of a growing death toll, we are made keenly aware: “Life is short.” Will we do stuff that matters?
I have heard it said that this pandemic is less of an interrupter and more of an accelerator. Individually and collectively, our movement toward what we truly value is being accelerated. We catch glimpses of God making everything new (Revelation 21:5). We surf the web of global connectivity. Together we seek mutually beneficial solutions. We steadily inch toward real reconciliation for the whole human race.
“In an age of acceleration, nothing can be more exhilarating than going slow,” reminds Pico Iyer, a British-born essayist and novelist, known best for his travel writing. “And in an age of distraction, nothing is so luxurious as paying attention. And in an age of constant movement, nothing is so urgent as sitting still.”
In this age of acceleration, distraction, and constant movement, do we value the exhilaration of going slow? Are we investing in the luxury of paying attention? Are we listening to our urgent need to sit still? “So stand still. Watch the great thing the Lord is about to do right here in front of you!” (1 Samuel 12:16, NIRV). On this summertime Sabbath, we are wise to go slow, pay attention, and sit still prayerfully pondering, “Which stuff really matters? What do I value most? Which priorities deserve my passion?”
Our old routine life is a thing of the past. The Bible is our guiding force as we envision with God our budding new life. In this new life it doesn’t matter if you are a Greek or a Jew, circumcised or not. It doesn’t matter if you speak a different language or even if you are a Scythian. It doesn’t matter if you are a slave or free. Christ is all that matters, and he is in all of you (Colossians 3:11, ERV).
Forced by this pandemic to go slow, pay attention, and sit still, I am filled with a deepening awareness: the living Christ (the dynamic dance of Father-Son-Spirit) is all that matters, and the living Christ is in all of us. With the resurrected Christ alive in all of us, we each are empowered to do stuff that really matters.
…Sue…
P.S. Please join us for online worship this morning through Northside Church.
8:30AM · Traditional Worship
9:45AM · Contemporary Worship
11:00AM · Traditional Worship
Join us via our website.
Our pastor, Dr. Bill, laid out our values as a church in a letter this week:
Northside continues our phased return to church. We tentatively plan to resume onsite worship services on Sunday, August 23. We will continue to offer online services as well. The COVID-19 pandemic offers both challenges and opportunities as we return to church. Our two overarching principles are to safeguard the health of the congregation and community while providing quality opportunities for fellowship and worship. On August 2, we are introducing a new Sunday schedule. In part, the schedule reflects our response to the current crisis. Our values as a community of faith also shaped the plan, including:
The importance of both worship and Sunday School
A commitment to provide Traditional and Contemporary Worship Services
A consolidated Sunday School hour for all ages
The opportunity for families to worship together in multigenerational services
The goal to raise the next generation of our children in worship and Sunday School
A simplified schedule with transition times of fellowship
We are excited to introduce our new Sunday schedule effective August 2 online and after August 23rd online and onsite:
8:00AM Traditional Worship
9:00AM Contemporary Worship
10:10AM Sunday School
11:15AM Traditional Worship
P.S.S. Photo courtesy of Unsplash.com.
