A UNIQUE COVID-19 WORSHIP EXPERIENCE
MY FIRST VIDEO SERMON: And it was really a technical trial. Before this weekend, I had never planned a video message longer than 30 seconds. I offered to make this on Friday and then tried a FIRST TAKE on Saturday morning. I expected a worse snafu than mis-spelling and mis-pronouncing Covid-19 ... and suddenly changing my mind on how to start the song. Nikhil was playing nearby and I expected him to interrupt. But he seemed to know I was doing something important and he watched, but didn't complain. He wasn't nearly as cooperative after the FIRST TAKE and I finally decided ... to call this version a blessing. It doesn't have the polish I would like to put it online. But this is a part of the NEW NORMAL. We will be trying things in the weeks ahead that we have never done before. And trusting in the Refuge and Strength of God, our Mighty Fortress ...
Click here and listen to all of the song BEFORE watching the video:
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, HeartSong Cedarville University
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing.
Our shelter He, amidst the flood, of mortal ills prevailing
Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right One on our side, the Son of God's own choosing.
Before clicking on the Sermon Video Link, read the Psalm, alternating if there is more than one person watching:
PSALM 46
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the LORD has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Amen.
Click here and listen to all of the song AFTER watching the video:
All My Hope is in Jesus, HeartSong Cedarville University
All my hope is in Jesus
Thank God that yesterday's gone
All my sins are forgiven
And I've been washed by the blood
ASSIGNMENT This Week from the Sermon:
So. Tend to your fast. SPEND more time one on one with Christ, your Companion. And SPEND more time one on one with one other person, a Companion. Or two or three.
TALK about your faith. Your lives. This virus. And how we might respond. Reflecting on a short piece of scripture.
HOW WILL YOU CONNECT? You might, in the next days ahead, want to do it this way. Send a digital recording. Or Skype. Or Face Time. Or Zoom. Or Facebook. Or Instagram. Or text. Or even call on the phone the old-fashioned way. But face to face. At home. Is great too!!
AND PLEASE. Let me know what happens as you reflect together on this verse. You can, I think, even comment on this blog!!
THE BENEDICTION Click here to hear:
The Old Irish Blessing, Texas A&M University Century Singers with Pastor Todd & Alumni
May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back
The sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields,
And UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN, may God ...
Hold you in the PALM OF HIS HAND
The REFUGE & STRENGTH Sermon Text:
God is our refuge and strength. A present help in times of trouble. Psalm 46.
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing. Our shelter He, amidst the flood, of mortal ills prevailing.
Our family has chosen to self-quarantine as the world around us adjusts to life in the midst of Coronavirus or COVOID-19* (*Todd didn't catch the misspelling before recording), as it is more specifically and accurately named. You might recall that almost exactly one year ago my mother-in-law suffered a heart attack and stayed 10 days in the hospital before and after open heart surgery.
It turns out that COVID-19 is particularly dangerous to people over the age of 70, especially those with a history of cardio-pulmonary issues. So we are doing what we can to keep the virus out of our home. And we ask that you prayerfully consider what you and your family might be able to do to help prevent this virus from spreading.
The less we all travel and interact with each other in these early days, the harder it will be for this virus to reach our most vulnerable populations in nursing homes and care facilities.
But there is a limit to what we can do to stop a virus or prevent a tornado or end a war or bring peace to the world. We each do our part. And then. And then. And then.
We trust that God is our refuge and strength. A present help in times of trouble. We trust that …
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing. Our shelter He, amidst the flood, of mortal ills prevailing.
You may or may not know that the primary purpose for fasting in Lent is not to stop eating. Not to make a sacrifice. Not to make ourselves miserable.
The primary purpose for fasting in Lent is to help us pay attention. To get our attention. To focus our attention. On GOD ...
Who is our refuge and strength. A present help in times of trouble
During the next few days, our government, the city, the county, the state, and the nation will be asking you to fast. During the next few days, our government will be asking you to give up some things that are important to you. To give up travelling freely. To give up gathering with others in crowds. To give up your favorite sports and favorite concerts. To give up sending your children and grandchildren to school. And yes, even to church. All in the name of keeping vulnerable people safer.
How you respond to the government is up to you. I cannot recommend how YOU respond as a citizen of this community and this city.
But I hope you will take this time of enforced fasting as an opportunity to focus your attention on God. For it is an opportunity.
And there will be costs as this virus continues to spread: Some children in our neighborhood get their only healthy meal at school. And now school is suspended indefinitely. How will they be fed?
Some children in our neighborhood will find that their only care provider is sick for days on end. Who will notice? Who will pay attention? How can they get respite care?
Some participants in our pantry will get sick for days on end. Not only will they have little access to health care, but they may be tucked away in some hidden corner, suffering alone. Who will notice? Who will pay attention? How can they get life-saving care?
Some elderly in our neighborhood may have similar dilemmas.
The elderly in care facilities may be some of the most vulnerable in the days ahead and their care professionals are already overburdened. How can we plan to help if the demands there become even greater?
The primary purpose for fasting in Lent is to help us pay attention. To get our attention. To focus our attention. On GOD. And what God is telling us. On GOD ...
Who is our refuge and strength. A present help in times of trouble.
I WILL take care of YOU, God says. In all things, I WILL take care of you. And. God says,
Sometimes the way I take care of my beloved children, is THROUGH YOU. Keep yourself and your family healthy, so that you can serve me … and serve your neighbors in this time of need.
Yes. This IS an opportunity. To watch God at work. And HELP.
See. I believe. That we just might learn something during this time where so much attention is on COVOID-19. If we use this time. If we use this fast.
To pay attention to God. To pay attention to those who are hurting most. And ask God. To equip us. To serve God. And our neighbor. In this. And in ANY. Time of need.
Yes. The primary purpose for fasting in Lent is to help us pay attention. To get our attention. To focus our attention. On GOD ...
Who is our refuge and strength. A present help in times of trouble.
So how will you USE this new fast you have been given? How do you plan to pay attention. In this. And ANY. Time of need?
One thing I invite you to consider. And consider well. Some will tell you that the most important thing we do as Christians is worship together. And it’s a good argument.
But I do not now, nor ever have I fully agreed with that. See. In my life as a follower of Christ. The most powerful moments have never been in a crowd during worship.
The most powerful moments have been with one or two others. As we gather in the name of Christ. And let Christ guide our conversation and reflection on a small piece of scripture.
Like this:
God is our refuge and strength. A present help in times of trouble. Psalm 46.
See, my interest in Companionship, is only partly about the service that can be provided to the most vulnerable in our neighborhood. During this crisis. Or at any time.
My interest in Companionship is what it might do for YOUR LIFE and MY LIFE. If we learn to walk together more closely in our HOMES. Our CHURCH. Two by two. Or three by three.
Want to make our Worship more powerful? Make our lives more powerful? Then use this time for a FAST. To focus our attention WHERE God wants our attention focused. To focus our attention on WHO (and WHOM) God wants our attention focused.
So. Tend to your fast. Spend more time one on one with Christ, your Companion. And spend more time one on one with one other person, a Companion. Or two or three.
Talking about your faith. Your lives. This virus. And how we might respond. Reflecting on a short piece of scripture.
You might, in the next days ahead, want to do it this way. Send a digital recording. Or Skype. Or Face Time. Or Zoom. Or Facebook. Or Instagram. Or text.
But face to face. At home. Is great too!! And please. Let me know what happens as you reflect together on this verse:
God is our refuge and strength. A present help in times of trouble. Psalm 46.