Over the next weeks of staying at home, members of the Christ-ConnectioN Point United Methodist Church staff will post a short devotional each morning. At the end of the devotional, there will be any announcements which we need to make. This devotional will be posted on Facebook and also sent out to our church email master list.
If you would like to contribute a devotional, please write it and email it to richard.randolph@christumclinc.org. Thanks ~ Richard
Scripture “Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, …to the church of God that is in Corinth … to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ… . I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind… . [But] I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you should be in agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose.” 1 Corinthians 1 (selections)
Reflections One of the things which I have come to love about March in Nebraska is the annual migration of the sandhill cranes. Last year, LaGreer and I spent an early morning in a blind at Rowe Sanctuary (https://rowe.audubon.org/ ) as we watched thousands of sandhill cranes. Sadly, Rowe is closed right now because of the coronavirus. This virus has completely disrupted life and normality all around us in Nebraska.
The coronavirus has seriously disrupted life and normality within our church, as well. One of our operational fundamentals is coming together for worship, mutual support, Bible study and other classes, serving others, and working for justice. Now, we are asked to stay apart for the public good. This imposes a “new normal” that we are unprepared for.
Under these circumstances, I think our scripture can be helpful. The Apostle Paul has established a Christian Church in Corinth and then moved on to other cities. Paul is in the city of Ephesus, when word reaches him that serious theological divisions have occurred in the Corinthian Church. Since Paul is busy in Ephesus, he can’t return to Corinth. So, he sits down and writes a letter to the Corinthians, seeking to heal their divisions. That is, Paul seeks to stay in touch and stay in community with the Corinthians through his letter.
While we may not have the theological divisions of the Corinthians, we are physically separated by the coronavirus. Just as the Apostle Paul, we need to stay in touch and stay in community with one another—especially over the next weeks of the coronavirus. Paul wrote a long letter. We can also write letters or sent post cards. But, we can use other means of communication as well. We can use our telephone; send emails or texts, post on Facebook. We need to communicate with one another. We need to check up on one another to see if they need help. We need to use all of our different forms of communication to maintain a healthy community of faith.
Prayer O God of strength and healing, help us to experience your Presence throughout this health crisis. Even though we are physically separated from one another, help us to use our different means of communication to maintain community as your church. In Christ’s name, Amen.
Important Announcement. Since many of the volunteers at the food pantry at ConnectioN Point were UNL students, who have gone home, we are in desperate need of volunteers to help run OpeN Shelf. If you could volunteer to be one who helps oversee the food pantry, please call Pastor Beth at 402-413-0017. The food pantry is open 2-5 pm every weekday. We need help for Wednesday-Friday this week.