I have good news for you.
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”
It’s old news, and it’s current news too. This is the voice of God, delivered through the Prophet Jeremiah (31:3), when God spoke to historic Israel while it was in a wilderness of exile, before being returned to the homeland of Jerusalem.
We get wilderness. We’ve been isolated in our individual homes and away from our Christ Church heart-home. We miss the worship space; we miss the Holy Eucharist; we miss hugging one another. So we too hear with relief what Israel heard: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”
God’s faithfulness has been revealed in the faces of one another during worship over YouTube; youth worship over Instagram; Morning Prayer, Compline, Virtual Coffee Hour, Open Office Hour, Community of Hope, classes and Bible studies over Zoom; Children’s Sunday School and other ministry groups sharing over Realm, and Preschool instruction over email. We see God’s love in the masks you are making for SOAR360 and for neighbors who work in medical offices and hospitals. We see God’s love in the meals you deliver to homeless persons, and the other ways you are helping that we may not even know of.
It’s love on love. While Christ Church is founded on God’s love, your love shared with us over the years built these ministries, these leaders, these staff, these systems and information technology backbone that have enabled us to pivot boldly and keep God’s love moving all during this health crisis.
And when we’re able to worship and do our other ministries in person again, we will ask you to use safe practices recommended by the CDC, out of love for one another. There are weeks to go before gatherings are likely. We do not expect this before June 10th, since we will be moving together with the other Episcopal Churches of the Diocese of Virginia. So, in the meantime, we will continue all our ministries online or by phone. If you miss a ministry and haven’t been able to figure out how it’s happening differently, please reach out to a clergyperson so that we can either connect you to a resource or help you and lay leadership brainstorm.
Thank you for the many ways you are doing Jesus’ ministry of compassion from where you are. It may be that only God sees what you are doing, but in faith we know it is happening. Thank you also for your expressions of support for lay leaders and staff who are innovating daily to do ministry differently. Thank you to those who continue to send contributions to the church, by USPS or online. Giving is always an act of offering, whereby we trust God to bless our gifts for God’s service. But giving is also an act of faith in the future that God is bringing us to, in person.
Please continue to check our weekly eNews for updates. Sign up for the Diocese of Virginia’s emails also; they are reliably inspiring and informative. The vestry and I will be sure to keep you up-to-date about the state of our ministry with one another, as fellow disciples of Jesus Christ.
Always, love,
Reverend Shirley
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