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Rally the Church!



We, as the Church Universal….the holy, catholic church, as we say in the Apostle’s Creed…has been offered one of her greatest opportunities. Unveiled before our eyes is the world-wide pandemic called COVID-19, the coronavirus. It has unleashed upon us levels of unprecedented mayhem, confusion, panic and fear across the world.

Yes, there is cause for concern and precautions must be taken to mitigate the swirling eddy of information, truth, and fiction funneling around this virus. We must not lose our minds or our ability to reason. We keep our heads and live in a realm of common sense. 2 Timothy 4:5 "But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry."

The last thing the Church needs to do is join in on the panic and stir up just as much fear. We must keep a sound heart and level head. Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” We have been given a beautiful opportunity to “give the reason for the hope that [we] have” (1 Timothy 3:16). We have an extraordinary opportunity to look for new and inviting ways to love our neighbor as ourselves.

We have also been handed a golden opportunity to still find ways to worship, study, pray, and read the Bible together as we must disperse as large, corporate Church body and span-out into smaller groups of 5-10 as we meet in living rooms, kitchens tables, dining rooms, in the family room around the piano or wherever we can “all fit” to still “be the Church.” We can “make it happen” because we must never, ever “give up the habit of meeting together” (Hebrews 10:25).

We need each other….and the world needs us to be the Church. We must love, serve, care for and check on each other. We must let go of “self” (Romans 12:3) and think a little bit more about others. We must look for ways to use, donate, and give away the things we have been blessed with in order to be a blessing to others.

How that is done will be different for every single one of us. Just remember, Jesus wasn’t afraid to touch the Lepers or engage with those people that society had scorned and abandoned (Matthew 8:3; John 8:1-11; Luke 19:5-7). We can do likewise.

I like the words from our Free Methodist Bishops who wrote:

            “And of course, our life together is not meant to be a Sunday-only thing. We have lots of ways to stay in touch seven days a week - calling, texting, emailing, sharing on social media. Let's use whatever resources we have to speak into each other's lives words of faith, hope and love. Let's pray for one another and for our leaders, and then let each other know. Let's share Scripture verses that God has impressed on our hearts. In the face of the anxiety all around us, let's be a non-anxious presence because of the peace Jesus gives.”

Now, go! Be the hands, feet, voice and love of Jesus to the world around you. Be a blessing to everyone. Be the calm in the storm. Be the serenity of peace amongst the chaos. Be the intensity of God’s love that radiates warmth amongst the coldness of the world. It’s time for the Church to rally! It’s time for the Church to Shine! The Church doesn’t shelter-in-place or quarantine! Let’s go forth in Jesus’ name!

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