The Journey So Far

Friends,

How are you?  No really, how are you?  So much has happened and is happening.  It is good to work through it all in prayer and conversation.  I miss having time throughout the week to sit and talk with all of you as you pass through the building.  Do you have a fellow Christian to talk it all over – to listen?  If not, let me know and we can remedy that shortly.  It is my hope all who have ever called Central home has a regular connection as we follow after Jesus in these strange times.

Recently, we concluded the book of Proverbs in our Wisdom Study (resuming in August).  In it, there is a centering line in Chapter 3 which reads:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.
 
Though this is true in all circumstances, I have been surprised at how often I want to lean on my own understanding throughout the pandemic, the rising conversation on race, and movements in the streets.  God’s shalom has been broken anew.  Rather than finding eyes to see the Spirit’s new work, I rush to return to what worked before in my understanding.  Every time I do, I find it no longer holds like it used to.  Every time I do, I find myself humbled anew.  Every time I do, I find how foolish I was to ever turn from awaiting for God’s beckoning – from trusting God’s timing and action.  Still, his grace overwhelms me as again and again our Lord allows me space to return to the straight path.  

 

This is the path I pray we at Central maintain in the weeks ahead in both our peace-making work and in our continued vigilance with the coronavirus.  Our drive down this path has shown us much, but still much remains to be revealed around the coming bends.  Indiana is doing well with its coronavirus mitigation as we continue on a downward trend.  Wayne county and its health professionals have done an even better overall job of keeping our community in one of the lowest per capita case rates of any county.  Still with so much still unknown, we will still be proceeding with the following measures on Sunday mornings.

• We are asking you to continue to wear a mask to worship on Sunday mornings..
• We will continue to offer communion outside for both those attending and drive thru.
• We will continue to tape off rows.
• We will continue to offer more meditative music opportunities throughout the service.

If you will be rejoining us for the first time come July 5th, you will notice several other changes with an eye towards keeping any possible transmission at bay.   We continue to encourage anyone who is feeling even the slightest symptoms or who is at risk to join us in worship online through Facebook on Sunday mornings at 10.  If you are in need of face to face conversation, please call and I or another of the good people at Central will come and sit socially distant in the driveway for a good chat.  We are in this together.  God is still good.  We can lean into his solid Word.  He continues to call us to holy work in our lives, our homes, our community, and beyond.  Let us walk faithfully down this straight path.
 
Yours in Christ
,
Pastor Joseph

One Response to “The Journey So Far”

  1. Nellie Cheek says:

    Thank you very much Pastor Joe.

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