Brothers and sisters,
Coronavirus has been on most people’s minds this week. And you may be wondering what you should do, and how coronavirus affects our church community.
We are wanting to act – not out of fear, but out of love. Jesus calls us to love one another. That includes at times like these, and so we need to give thought to what love looks like when we’re facing a pandemic.
The first thing we can do is pray. If you’re someone who has clinical anxiety, or if you’re just someone who on the spectrum is more prone to worry and concern, I want you to know that I’m praying for you. I’m praying for you each day, because this is a really hard time for you.
The second thing we can do is look out for one another. And so when someone you know at church is away, maybe give them a call. It could be they were just away for the weekend, but it could be they’re unwell. Take a greater interest in the lives of those around you. If you are isolated at home and run out of basic needs, please get in touch with one of the deacons. We’ll see what we can do as a church community to help one another. And help those around us. Do any of your neighbours have needs? Can you help them?
The third thing we can do is take sensible precautions. If you’re unwell, stay home from church activities. Practice regular hand hygiene. You may have seen that the advice of our state Chief Health Office is to stop shaking hands for a while. Greet one another with a smile and a friendly word of greeting instead. And so after the service, I won’t be at the door shaking hands, but I will be around if you’d like to talk about anything that’s on your mind.
You should anticipate it’s likely that there will be other changes coming, possibly even by this coming Sunday. We don’t know for sure what those will be, because things are changing rapidly. The elders will keep you informed by email, and by notices on our church website and Facebook page, of any changes that are coming.
We believe in a sovereign God. And so we need not fear, for King Jesus is still on his throne. He’s got this. As we confess in Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 1, not a hair can fall from our head, without the will of our father in heaven. All things must work together for our salvation. We are not our own, but belong, body and soul, in life and in death, to our faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.
Pastor Andrew