Bethlehem Lutheran Church issued the following announcement on June 9
Dearest Members of Bethlehem,
“Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” -Psalm 30:5
When we were kids, we used to play a game called “red light, green light.” It was fun. You might remember it… there was one person that was in charge of saying the words, “red light, green light.” Then, there was a bunch of young people lined up at the starting line.
As soon as someone said, “green light,” you ran with all your might trying to get ahead of the other competitors before the words, “red light,” were spoken again. Yes, you had to get as far as you could, as fast as you could… to win the game. With my long lanky legs, I actually managed to win a couple of times.
Now, when this “Tidings” hits your inbox, we’ll have been in the “green phase” of our re-opening plan for several days. I’ll be honest, I was as eager for this “green” as an adult as I was for a game of “Red light, green light” as a kid.
The only difference is… I’m a little older now, and just a little, not much, but just a little wiser. So, I understand, that this “green light” is not a competition, this “green” is not something to mindlessly race through.
In fact, winning in this “green phase” will mean being deliberate with every step along the way, so that those we love remain healthy. And, while we can be grateful for the progress we’ve made, we needn’t be so cavalier in our approach that we find ourselves back at the starting line.
We’ve come a long way as congregation, and we have a long way to go before we’re finished “running the race” of faithfulness… so, we’ll do our best, but we’ll need your help along the way.
Bethlehem Lutheran is planning an outdoor worship service this coming weekend, with another on the calendar for the 21st. Some church programming is back up and running. We’re slated to return to indoor worship on June 27th and 28th.
But, please be patient, we can’t rush through this… we’re intentionally and deliberately finding our way together. And we need your grace and kindness in these days, as we seek to do what’s best for all our members.
Thanks in advance, for… how should I say it, “playing along!”
Question for reflection: What’s your favorite childhood game? What life lessons did you learn from playing that game?
This week at Bethlehem:
This Wednesday evening members of our congregation will gather at the Latrobe shelter in North Park at 6:30 for our first “Fit Church” of the season. You can count on responsibly social-distanced exercise, good fellowship, and meaningful devotions. Please consider joining us!
We look forward to coming together for outdoor worship on Sunday morning at 9:00 and 10:30. Please join us as we transition back to worshipping together.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Dan
Let us pray…
Gracious Lord, as we continue to move forward in faithfulness grant us your protection, fill our hearts with love, grant us the holy energy of your Spirit, and remind us of the all-important work that we share together . We pray all this in our Savior’s name, Amen.
Original source can be found here.
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