Dear Ones of St. Luke,
There are times when hard choices need to be made. Choices that are accompanied by many questions; the most important question of all being: “What’s the most loving thing to do?”
The most loving thing we as a congregation can do is to continue to worship, to be in the Word together, to pray, and to praise our God, but in this season of the coronavirus, we are going to do so online: on our web page, Facebook, and YouTube.
We will not be worshiping in our church until after Sunday March 29. After that date, we will assess the situation and plan a course forward.
In addition, our church building will be closed to all outside groups and any activities, so we can be assured that any COVID-19 contamination that may be there right now will have died. The only activity that will take place at church will be our staff at work and our cleaning crews.
Why is this the most loving thing to do? We need to put into affect “social distancing” to avoid the possibility of infecting and endangering our high-risk population: the elderly and those who struggle with immunity issues. We need to demonstrate to our community around us that we care more about their health, and ours, than staying open…because Jesus loves them, and so do we.
It’s the most loving thing to do.
Tomorrow, on Saturday, I’ll send another communication which will contain information about how to access our worship this Sunday which will contain Word, message, and prayer. The theme this Sunday is so appropriate: we are preparing to experience Chapter 22 of The Story, which contains the account of our Lord’s birth. The central phrase for us will be the central phrase for everyone in that story: “Fear not.”
Please watch for the next email. You, St. Luke, have a wonderful staff, Spiritual Leadership Council, and elders, who gave much of their day to prayerfully making these decisions. I thank God for them.
And for you, who in this time will be the very presence of Christ, I pray, to all you meet.
God’s blessings,
Pastor John
