One of the songs we are going to sing this weekend on our Live Stream is “We Believe” by the Newsboys. The song begins with these words:
“In this time of desperation,
When all we know is doubt and fear,
There is only one foundation,
We believe, we believe
In this broken generation
When all is dark, you help us see
There is only one salvation
We believe, we believe.”
I am sure a lot of us feel those words deeply right now. It seems like there is a lot of darkness and fear. And, our response to all this must be WE BELIEVE! To believe is much more than saying words, it is putting our faith into action.
This morning I got a message from a friend who reminded me to stop saying “the church is closed” and start reminding everyone “the building is closed” but the “church” is very open. We are the church. And every time we do an act of kindness or an act of concern for others the church is working. Every time we pray in our homes the church is open. Every time we lift a prayer of gratitude or sing a song of praise the church is alive.
There is no doubt everything has changed. We are not operating in the same way we have in the past. The very things that have always brought us comfort and peace have been taken away. But, the Holy Spirit is still alive and still with us. Our homes are now the new “Church” and we are called to make them holy and sacred by our faith, our love, and our compassion.
The coronavirus is accelerating. We are no where near putting this behind us. I am sure we will need to make more sacrifices and we will have more setbacks. We cannot give in to depression and hopelessness. When we chose the theme, “I Have This Hope” for Lent we had no idea how appropriate it would be. But keep singing it…and keep saying it. Our faith must be stronger than our fear. Here is a link to the music video of I Have the Hope:
So, until we can be church like we are used to, please be church in your home. Be good to each other. Listen to some Christian music. Pull your Bibles out. Practice kindness to each other.
THE CHURCH IS OPEN…and the address is your home.
Much love and many blessings,
Fr. Dale