Good Friday morning Church Requel!
You've heard the expression that home is where the heart is. So true. These days home is where we all are - every one of us - and all of us - heart, soul, mind, and body! For a people who often longs for home, we now find ourselves longing to get out of home! At least out of the house.
I admit that the last two days of warmer weather offered Mary Kay and me the chance to get out for a walk. This morning the ache in my calves never felt so good!
Have you come to peace with remaining at home? Once again our attitude makes such a huge difference. I'm finding that these ongoing prayers have been helpful to me:
- Thank You Lord for my health.
- Thank You Lord for my wife.
- Thank You Lord for all my family and their health.
- Thank You Lord for a home to shelter within.
- Thank You Lord for the opportunity to encourage someone else.
- Thank You Lord that my real home is always with You.
These are not prayers that I take lightly these days. Contentment begins with gratitude. For those of us in good health at home - we have SO MUCH for which to be grateful.
Here's another huge thank You. Thank You Lord for our church! I appreciate each one of you. I appreciate your ongoing prayers for me. I am strengthened daily by your generous words of encouragement to me and your kind words of supplication on my behalf to our Lord Jesus.
Do you have the same appreciation for your church? Perhaps this attitude of gratitude for your church varies by your personal investment into the relationships with your fellow church friends. Two Sundays ago we passed out three sheets of paper with names and phone numbers on it. I find that the more I talk with other people from our church, the larger my heart expands for each of you. Be encouraged! Make a phone call to someone who needs to hear from a loving friend. As you provide encouragement and strength to others, you yourselves will also be encouraged and strengthened!
Making Adjustments For The Good Of All. As a church family, we continue to adjust each week to our governmental leaders' advice and orders. I remind you that Romans 13 instructs us:
"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad."
Last week we were working under the guidance of no more than 10 in a room. So our worship team gathered at church and we broadcast a worship service to you via Facebook LIVE. Later that afternoon, Governor DeWine implemented Dr. Amy Acton's Stay At Home order.
We will continue to comply with our governor's wishes for the safety of our congregation, for the good will of our neighbors, and in obedience to God's Word regarding authority.
Sunday's Worship Experience. So how will we worship this week? We will still gather together using Facebook LIVE. You will still be able to join in at 11am to sing, to read Scripture, to take communion, to pray corporately, and to hear the preaching of the Word.
Your worship leaders will gather separately from their homes and collectively via the Zoom video conference software. We have been diligently working this week to figure out how to broadcast out from Zoom to Facebook so that you can all watch and participate. So tune into Facebook at 11am and join in with us! You will be encouraged in your Christian faith. Be strong! Do not give up meeting together just because it's different than normal. These bad news days are when it is the most important time to worship together.
For those who would prefer to participate in our worship experience directly with the Zoom software rather than watch online with Facebook, you are most welcome. Our Zoom meeting ID on Sunday morning will be 609-489-055. You can also use this link.
Make your worship experience this Sunday a positive one. Here are some guidelines. Turn off every thing else during the worship time. No TV. No video games. No phone calls. Be just as focused in your chair at home as you would be if you were sitting in a pew. Worship cannot be absorbed from others, just because you're watching others worship online.
Worship is always a highly personal choice. There is a reason Jesus taught us that God's worshipers must "worship in Spirit and in truth." Check your heart. Check your focus. Begin preparations even the night before. Tell yourself that Sunday is my day to worship. Sunday is my day to set aside for the Lord.
Set aside your communion elements of bread and grape juice or wine. At the appropriate time (11am Sunday), gather your family together and enforce the set aside worship time. The outcome of your worship experience will depend greatly on the preparation of your heart and the attention of your mind.
One more thing. Thank you for your faithfulness in financially supporting our church. For those of you who have already given your tithes and offerings online, we appreciate you!!! For those who wish to give with a credit or debit card, click on this easy to remember link - give.ChurchRequel.org
Other Weekly Opportunities During This Crisis. We are most thankful for both the technology that allows us to gather virtually as well as for the leadership of those within our church to provide purposeful gatherings.
Saturday Morning Bible Study at 11am. Brian Betts continues to offer an Old Testament study by Dr. Spoul. So excellent! There are about a dozen of us who attend regularly, but all are welcome. You can join in at anytime. This Saturday we will be talking about Aaron and the Priesthood. The meeting ID is 726-173-256. You can also use this link.
Wednesday Night Midweek Service at 7pm. We enjoyed our second Midweek Prayer service via Zoom teleconference this past Wednesday evening. It was so rich! We counted twenty-one of us involved. It's hard to describe just how meaningful and intimate these prayer sessions are when we gather together with Zoom. We can see one another and we take turns praying for our needs and praising God for how He has provided. The meeting ID for this is 172-942-523. By the way, this meeting ID and the link for it is the same every week! Save it and you'll have it! Here is the link.
Be encouraged! Our Lord remains on the throne! He still hears and answers prayer. This is our chance to prove our faith is sure. Know how much I love each one of you. Praying for you, Pastor Mark
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