Good morning:
When was the last time you got together with others, besides your family? Has it been awhile? One of the unfortunate consequences of the current pandemic is that gatherings have been discouraged. Ordinarily, you might have spent an evening this week enjoying a meal with friends. Friday you may have taken in a ballgame at Miller Park. Instead, for months now gatherings have been canceled, doors locked, work and school have gone virtual, and many of us have felt more isolated than ever before.
For a time we can get along apart from others, but it is not a sustainable way of life. We need others. God didn’t create us to be self-sufficient, but to be part of families and communities and to live and work in harmony with one another. “God sets the lonely in families” (Ps. 68:6). But even more than we need contact with one another, we need fellowship with God. Those who believe that on their own they can make a happy and fulfilling life for themselves without God are sadly mistaken. They may achieve outward success. They may reach their goals for career, family, friends, and lifestyle.
Yet without knowing the Lord, they are isolated and missing what matters most. Solomon writes, “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men” (Eccl. 3:11). There is more to life than meets the eye. There is more to a full life than gatherings of friends and family. God created us to be in fellowship with Him now and forever. He sent Jesus to make it possible by breaking down the wall of sin which stood between us and the holy God. The door to God’s kingdom which once was locked and barred to us is now wide open to all who believe in Christ. No one is excluded from God’s grace.
Day by day, as the message of Christ the Savior from sin is proclaimed and shared, more and more souls are being gathered into the Lord’s Church. In a time of social isolation and closed doors, this is cause for thanksgiving as we anticipate that day when the entire Holy Christian Church will be gathered together before the Lord in glory.
We look forward to the time when all kinds of gatherings will once again be the normal way of life. In the meantime, let’s be there for one another in any way we can and rejoice in gathering with the Lord and one another tomorrow in His house either in-person or virtually.
In Jesus’ service,
Pastor
Tomorrow’s services are at 8:00 and 9:30 a.m. Here is the link for signing up for August services: https://tinyurl.com/y2j5r8sn
Face coverings:
Wisconsin requires face coverings at all indoor gatherings for everyone five years old and older, so remember to bring yours along. Disposable masks will be available in the entry for those who need one.
