Friday, July 31, 2020

The town and whatever health agencies will do their parts. I don’t know if that’s just a single quarantine or if contact tracing will identify others who might be infected. As I said, that’s in the hands of our local officials and perhaps other agencies.

That said, we have taken immediate action to prepare for the worst-case scenario while the facts become known.

That’s an official-sounding statement right there. What does it mean?

This is not in chronological order, but VBS is cancelled. It was scheduled too close to the recent COVID event to wait and see what happened. There are a lot of logistics in a VBS.

Next, we will only have the 11 am worship service this Sunday. There will be no First Light, no Sunday school, and no nursery at the 11 am service.

The doors will be open, but caution is advised. If you are sick or think you may have been exposed, this would be a fantastic Sunday to participate in worship via Facebook Live.

If you are in one or more of the vulnerable groups, Facebook Live may be the best option for you, at least at this time.

We are not in full retreat. We are not acting in fear. We have taken immediate action and will assess what develops. The session meets Sunday evening and will plan a way forward. We could be back to encouraging all to come the following Sunday or we may be on a more deliberate track as to opening.

Don’t panic but be proactive in protecting yourself and your families.

The session will base its decisions on the information available to us by this weekend. Using the sound mind that God gave us will surely get us on the right track.

This is our first contact with the contagion. Expect your session to do some basic OODA loop procedures. Observation, Orientation, Decision, Action—Repeat.

We will do our best to learn quickly what works and what doesn’t, and adjust accordingly.

To reiterate, what we have done is essentially an immediate action drill.

We will have only the 11 am service and no nursery. If you are sick, stay home. If you think you may have been in contact with someone that has the contagion, stay home. If you are in a vulnerable group, you might just want to stay home.

But if none of those conditions apply, I’ll see you at the 11 am service.

For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.

We are still in the sound mind business.

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

7 I Am statements in the Gospel of John

We are reading Chapter 14 of John’s Gospel this week. You will come across I Am statement (metaphor) number six. “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) Six down. One to go. Hang in there and read your chapter every day.

Below is a list of Jesus’ seven “I Am” statements in the book of John.

“I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51) As bread sustains physical life, so Christ offers and sustains spiritual life.
“I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12) To a world lost in darkness, Christ offers Himself as a guide.
“I am the door of the sheep.” (John 10:7,9) Jesus protects His followers as shepherds protect their flocks from predators.
“I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:11, 14) Jesus is committed to caring and watching over those who are His.
“I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25) Death is not the final word for those in Christ.
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) Jesus is the source of all truth and knowledge about God.
“I am the true vine.” (John 15:1, 5) By attached ourselves to Christ, we enable His life to flow in and through us. Then we cannot help but bear fruit that will honor the Father.

Source for this summary: https://www.thomasnelsonbibles.com/jesus-seven-i-am-statements/