Dear Christ the Redeemer Family,
As we look forward to worshipping at the church building this Sunday, I wanted say how much I am looking forward to being there, and also speak to some of the aspects of this next step for us.
First off, weary as no doubt most everyone is of this, let’s keep the plot. I’m sure you’re likely familiar with the famous Keep Calm and Carry On posters that were put all around London during the Blitz year of 1939, when England stood alone. What is less well known is that there was another sign that was used as well, this one.
This is a good word for this moment: let’s move into the next step, weary as we are, with the same spirit of caring for one another and for our neighbors, recalling how our Lord Jesus gave up his rights and emptied himself out of love for us, and following his example, as St Paul called us to do in Philippians chapter 2.
Practically this means the drill we all know by now and the guidance concerning which you can find on our website. But I did want to speak quickly to three things:
First, singing: I love that we love to sing. I have Welsh roots – we Welsh are famous worship and hymn singers. And apparently singing is not really worse than speaking in terms of spreading particulate matter if people have masks on, which is good to hear. However, singing still would be all 50 people in the room putting out particles at once, so we are going to continue to go step by step, carefully and conservatively, as we’ve gone all along.
Call it something like the biblical ox in the ditch: God can handle the exceptional circumstances, in fact, oft better than we can. So let’s hang in there.
Next, distribution of the Holy Eucharist: as we have been doing at Summer on the Green, clergy will bring individual cup and host to you, in the seats.
Receive Eucharist in your car: if it’s not your week to worship in the church, you are welcome to come and be near and follow on your phone or device, and then receive Eucharist in your car.
Dear friends, as we look forward to worshiping at the church building please join me in giving thanks to our Lord Jesus that he met us in our time at Gordon-Conwell and kept us well, and continue to be careful and to be fervent in prayer that everyone remain safe. And let’s grasp this for however long we have it.
May Jesus Christ be praised,
Tim+
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