By Pastor Wes Poole
Micah 6:8
8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God? NRSV
Neil Marten, a member of the British Parliament, was once giving a group of his constituents a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament. During the course of the visit, the group happened to meet Lord Hailsham, then lord chancellor, wearing all the regalia of his office. Hailsham recognized Marten among the group and cried, “Neil!” Not daring to question or disobey the “command,” the entire band of visitors promptly fell to their knees!
This past Sunday we were able to offer our first in person worship service since the pandemic lock down began. It was wonderful to see many of you again, especially after barely getting to know most of you! Thanks to skillful leadership here in our commonwealth, and in this congregation, we have progressed to the point where we are now able to have a modicum of normalcy return to our church family. It should go without saying that I am profoundly thankful for such a blessing. Reflecting on this further, I found myself thinking about those who were not able to be there. I felt like it needed to be said, and probably from me, that if you still don’t feel comfortable coming out and interacting even with a socially distanced gathering, that it’s OK. We all have different needs and different issues. If your life’s situation compels you to wait a bit longer before venturing out to worship at Good Shepherd, then not only do I understand, I truly respect your decision to care for yourself and those around you. In other words, returning to in person worship is a blessing to be sure, but it is not a requirement or command. Scripture contains many commands from God and Our Lord Jesus, but risking life and health for Sunday worship is not one of them.
At a time such as this, I feel it important to pay close attention to the essentials and fundamentals of our faith. Thus, the Micah quote above, possibly my single favorite passage in the Bible, spoke to me again, as it has so many times in my personal journey of faith. If you think about it, Jesus’ words in Mark 12 and Luke 10, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” is just another way to say “Be kind and just with one another, and love God.” THAT is the core, the very essence of the faith we share. Those are transcendent truths that we can carry with us no matter where we are or what our personal circumstances may be. Our Lord’s call to ministry is meant to be practiced out there in the “real world”. As has been said many times, we are the Church wherever we are. So if I see you some Sunday in the not too distant future, thanks be to God! If I don’t, then thanks be to God for keeping you safe and well!
Let us pray…
God of all healing and wholeness, we thank you for the blessing of being able to gather together, once again, to worship you and praise your Holy Name. We pray that you pour your Holy Spirit upon all the members of your Church, whether gathered together or sheltered at home. Strengthen our resolve to practice the essentials of our faith; that we may always do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with you. We ask these things in the name of Jesus, the Living Christ. Amen.
Be well, be kind, and be safe, my friends. I give thanks for each of you, and the unity we share in Christ, wherever we are!
Blessings always,
Pastor Wes †