The Pulse: Germs … and Anxiety

GFC Community,

It’s no mystery that concerns about illness such as coronavirus are continuing to spread. Depending on who you talk to and what you read, it certainly feels like we will be dealing with it sooner than later, here in our own backyard.

One thing I’ve been thinking and praying about is what is our role in all this as a church? Two thoughts have become very clear in my heart and mind…

1) We need to continue to be vigilant about health and safety as a church.

Here are a few recent adjustments I want you to know about…

We’ve moved away from the “meet and greet” part of our service for the time being.
We’ve made adjustments to aspects of our service including communion.
We’ve ramped up our standards of “clean” in every area of our building, including our children’s environments.
We have been and are continuing to consult with local health officials in order to make wise adjustments and decisions as needed.

All this with the goal of continuing to provide safe environments where people can experience life in Christ.

And while we work hard at this, we also need to remind ourselves of something really important…

2) God is our refuge and strength.

In Psalm 42, David says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.”

We need to remember that GOD is our refuge. Not a vaccine. Not a worry-free news cycle. Not a stable stock market. And … He is very present to us in our trouble!

Author Chip Dodd says, “the gift of fear is faith.” His point is not that being afraid is good in and of itself, but that when we are afraid, we have the opportunity to come to God in our fear and surrender. We can talk a lot about trusting God … fear helps us tangibly demonstrate it.

So, this week, Grace Fellowship Church … let’s remember that GOD alone is a trustworthy refuge. For David, there was no “solution” to the waters roaring and earth giving way, only a posture … surrendering to the God who held him and his world in His hands. May we, by God’s grace, seek to embody this posture in our world today.

Grace and Peace,