Hello, my friends!
Let me begin by reiterating just how much I miss you all! I know this time of quarantine has been an emotional rollercoaster for all of us, and I often find myself getting caught up in anxiety or worry, seemingly out of nowhere. My coping mechanism has always been some form of calculating or predicting, but these days, everything just feels more like guesswork.
As restrictions are beginning to lift, I am relieved to have access to our local beaches and surf breaks. Being out there in the water continues to be so restorative to me, body, soul, and spirit. It helps me to remain in that place of gratitude, and to hold on to the holiness in the little, everyday moments and experiences that I too easily forget. I hope you’re finding ways to celebrate those little glimpses of grace.
But also, as conditions improve, there are becoming more and more competing theories on just how fast and slow we should move forward towards reopening our church. Just know that we are seeking to embrace the fullness of both freedom and responsibility in this. We are going to exercise wisdom and prudence, heeding guidelines, and making sure that all our members are feeling safe and valued and trusted.
When I think of how we can best navigate through the tensions of all the varied opinions out there, I think of Paul addressing the church in Philippi. He admonishes them to live a life worthy of the gospel and then describes it as one defined by our humility and letting go of our rights. We are to follow Christ on his journey to the cross. Which means that we “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
These are our marching orders. To make sure that we are protecting the interests of those who disagree or see things differently. That we are doing more listening than speaking. We are open to hearing perspectives different than our own. That we are being considerate. Because even a little empathy goes a long way these days.
I know that we are all longing to get together as a church body, and I promise you that we will find new and creative ways to work within the structures we’ve been given and increase the safety and sanitization of our facilities. When allowed, we will gather face to face in our small group studies and figure out how to effectively use our indoor and outdoor spaces as places of connection. But in the meantime, we are doing our best to make our online experience of church as natural as possible without losing those things that make Church by the Sea such a wonderful and unique community. That won’t change and we will continue to keep those options open from here on out.
So hang in there! Tonight we’re having our Deeper Walk study where will continue to look into the Psalms of Ascent. We start at 7 PM and you can get there by clicking this link right here. Or you can go to Zoom and use the meeting ID: 652 073 534 and the password 424026. Tonight, in particular, we will be talking about the incredible honesty of the Psalms and their unique power to illuminate our hearts and bring healing and freedom. I sure hope you can make it!
Love you guys!
Jeff