Christianity is a social religion, but gathering together must look different during our #stayathome advisories. How can we continue to build our Christian community? And how can we love our neighbor as ourselves during this unprecedented time? Pastor Dave shares a few of his thoughts and a few of your stories!

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Scripture:

Hebrews 10:19-25

Mark 12:30-31

 

Dig Deeper:

Practice Hospitality. Especially During a Pandemic. (Article)

The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World by Rosaria Butterfield

The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine Relationships Right Out Your Front Door by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon

These days anxiety and unrest are at an all time high, with fear and uncertainty running rampant. Some have come to question “Where is God in all of this?” I believe we are at a special time and place that we can live like we know the answer to that question. This week, we will study John 11 to see how Jesus handles the news of Lazarus being sick and the beginning of John 12 to see Mary’s corresponding response to Jesus. As we virtually gather together, let us look to Scripture so that we can show the world that God is right where He has always been, in total control.

Social distancing and self-quarantining is wise in our present moment, but it doesn't have to negate community of fellow believers or loving our neighbors as ourselves. We're just going to have to get creative in how we do it.

The spread of and response to coronavirus has reshaped our lives. As we adjust to these new normals let us rest in the fact that our help comes from the Lord. We are not immune to the troubles of this world, but we are guarded from them. In this short address, Pastor Dave shares a few thoughts on Psalm 121 that can help us to stay grounded in this time.

If you’ve ever been in the unfortunate position of having your supervisor tell you that you no longer have a job, you know from experience how difficult that can be. You probably didn’t see that moment as an opportunity to ‘negotiate’. Maybe when you were hired, or after a very good year, you asked for more than was offered. But negotiation requires some kind of standing or leverage, and when you’re being let go, you have neither. Pharaoh has been shown that he truly has no leverage or standing before God Almighty. God sends two more plagues, and the Egyptian magicians can’t reproduce them (let alone stop the plagues God sends). Yet Pharaoh tries to negotiate with God. Before we jump to some kind of judgment on him, let’s ask ourselves if we do something similar with our Lord. Do we try to offer less than He asks for?

Have you ever been surfing channels on your car radio and accidentally come across a favorite song from long ago?  Even though you’ve listened to it many times over, you thoroughly enjoy listening to it again.  Maybe you even turned the radio up to get the full experience.  Knowing every word doesn’t make the song boring; instead, it lets you embrace the song to the fullest. But not everything in our lives is fun to relive.  Some experiences you’d rather never relive.  And others that seem good at first turn bitter over time.  As we begin the repetitious story of plague after plague, we should learn what Pharaoh refused to learn.  The misery that accompanies some experiences is there to teach us that we don’t want to resist or fight against the Lord.  Even the counterfeits that we trusted before seem less and less convincing.  Pharaoh tries to forget the lessons of his experience, but just sets himself up for harder times to come.

Have you ever had God try to get your attention, but you tried to ignore Him?  As the ten plagues begin, we read that God struck Egypt’s main asset: the Nile River. By turning the water to blood, the Lord is confronting the Egyptians and inviting them to know that He is the true God who rules over even the resources we take for granted. But while Egypt undeniably suffers, Pharaoh pretends that this situation is not worth a response. He goes back to his palace and tries to ignore the Lord. Like many of us, he doesn’t realize that God does not stop when He is working to get through to us. While the message of the first plague is clear enough, Pharaoh refuses to listen and sets a course that will bring much damage to Egypt.

The currency of our world is power.  Other things that people pursue all fall under this quest for power.  We naturally believe that if we have the ability to control our lives or the circumstances of life, we’ll find peace, security, and even joy in our lives. This philosophy has created many evils in our world.  As Moses begins to confront human power in Egypt, God begins to demonstrate the real source of power. In a challenge to the normal understanding of human power, Moses and Aaron stand in front of Pharaoh with just a stick.  And God uses that simple stick to show His power, and to begin to expose counterfeit powers in Egypt. Let’s learn about what real power looks like from this story today.

The problem for most of us is that we are well acquainted with our failures and weaknesses. Walking by faith requires some level of confidence that we are eligible and can be useful.  How do you keep going when it seems obvious that everything you try for God falls flat?  How can you let God lead your life when you’re convinced that you’re defective or broken or too weak to pull it off? Moses faces exactly that question.  He has stepped out in faith to follow God’s plan, but nothing has worked out yet.  We can imagine that he is already feeling déjà vu from his time decades ago when his bid to free his people fell flat. Today, we look at Moses’ experience as God invites him to see past his failures and into simply being faithful with what the Lord has asked.

Have you ever prayed for God to do something, and it seemed like nothing happened?  Perhaps you faced some kind of crisis and you asked God to intervene and resolve the problem, but it just stayed put. Then you hear how God is faithful and doesn’t forsake us, and it is hard to even listen. What should you do in that scenario? We step into a story today where God’s people were asking for rescue from slavery and death. Any of us in that situation would struggle to feel like God had answered our prayers while we remained slaves.  Yet, we read today that God did answer their prayers… but with a promise instead of an immediate action.  What does that mean for us today?  Can God be faithful even when we haven’t yet seen things change?  And why would He answer with a promise instead of action?