Greetings LBPC,
We are all aware of the rapid changes happening as our nation seeks to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The elders of LBPC take our total welfare seriously. Here are some theological reflections and some action steps about COVID-19.
1. “Do not fear for the Lord your God is with you (Isaiah 41:10).” While there is understandable anxiety concerning COVID-19, as Christians we fear only the Lord and we are assured that He is with us and He is sovereign in control of all things. We seek to be wise as we live in this world, but we are bold as those who know the all powerful, all wise God, is our God.
2. We live in a broken world. We are reminded that this world is fallen from God’s perfect creation. Our longing is God’s complete restoration of the world. We rejoice that Jesus came to redeem and restore all things. We know that one day there will be no more sickness. So we join in God’s work of healing as we pray and put our efforts to contributing to the wholeness and healing of the world, we join with health care workers and governments in this cause.
3. We love God with our whole being and we love our neighbors as ourselves. We will not let fear of a virus replace our worship of God. We may need to temporarily make slight changes to our worship. We continue to show compassion and care to those who are vulnerable, sick, and distressed.
Action steps:
**For Sunday, March 15 we will cancel Sunday school and our 10:30 Service and lean on the side of caution. **
1. We will listen to health care providers and wash our hands for 20 seconds, and use hand sanitizer.
2. We will cover our cough and sneeze into our elbow, and if we are sick we will stay home out of compassion for our neighbors.
3. We will temporarily NOT be shaking hands at church to protect those in our midst who are vulnerable to sickness.
4. We will obey the guidance of our state and national leaders and pray for them.
5. We will not judge anyone who decides it best to stay home and we not feel superior if we do come to congregational worship. Also, remember that you can access the previous week’s sermon through our website.
We will communicate to you if further action needs to take place in terms of our corporate worship together and continue to monitor the unfolding situation. May we seek to serve and honor one another at this time.
In God’s Grace,
Pastor Tom