Weekly Devotional | March 18

The following is the first in a series of weekly devotionals prepared for our Church community while our office and grounds are closed due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. These are sent as an email each Wednesday— if you don’t receive our emails but would like to, you can sign up here.

God is our refuge and strength,
                 a very present help in trouble.
            Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
                 though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
            though its waters roar and foam,
                 though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

                                                                                    Psalm 46:1-3

Dear Members and Friends of the Neighborhood Church,

The world is changing faster than any of us could have ever imagined just a week ago.  Daily life has been disrupted – both on the work and the home fronts.  So many places and activities are no longer available to us.  Things have been changing almost hourly.  Our church is participating in the wide spread effort to minimize the spread of COVID -19 by closing our building and grounds for the indefinite, near future. 

As we consider our faith at a time such as this, let’s remember this isn’t simply about us.   We are keeping distance, changing our behavior, and learning new ways to live for the well-being of our neighbors and the healing of our world.  As things and the world around us keep changing, I believe we must change too.  I hope this weekly communication will be a positive way for us to stay connected as a community of faith.  Community can strangely be built and nurtured over the short term even when we cannot be together physically.  Beginning this weekend, we will post an abbreviated worship service online.  Over the coming weeks we hope it will develop more closely into what you’ve been used to in the past.  Thank you for your patience and understanding.

We are the church – a people filled with faith, hope, compassion and love.  And we can be church in times of hardship and sacrifice and in times of abundance and joy.  Suspending worship in our building won’t stop us from being the church.  We have a calling in these days – to do what we can to make a difference and to reach out in compassion by sharing our resources where and how we can with others in need as the needs of others becomes greater and greater.  As people of faith, let’s control what we can and leave the rest to God.  And hopefully, this immediate threat will dissipate in the not too distant future and we will be reunited again.

In the mean time, please join me in continuing to pray for all those people who are being impacted by the coronavirus and let’s join hearts and minds in changing behaviors – all for the healing of our world.  Stay safe, be healthy and may it be well with your soul.

As Jesus said to his disciples and to us today:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” 

John 14:27 

Peace and love,

Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister