“What Now?”

A clear answer to the question of “What Now?” has yet to be answered. I guess in bringing this up at all means I am looking to you for the answers to really hard questions. I’m not talking just about when the church might open back up to in person worship and activities. When all of this quarantine and shut down began I thought I understood we would return to our regularly scheduled programming at some point in the future, but I don’t see that being the case in any area of our daily life. So again I ask “What Now?”

It really bothers me to try to talk through a face mask, but it bothers me even more to not know if the person I am talking with is smiling or frowning. The other day I was working with someone on a project and at the end of our working together he reached out and I shook his hand. Goodness, I touched another person and they aren’t in my immediate family. “What now?” Do I immediately go wash my hands getting rid of any reminder of this physical contact that was actually meant as a thank you for my presence and assistance in this project?

I spoke with Kinsey Walters about this following a long day of her providing dental care. This is scary stuff. When will it get better enough for us to return to our own sanctuary? What will our worship look like when we do? How soon can we have a potluck meal in Fellowship Hall? “What now?” When will all of this differentness go away?

I ask each of us to consider how this same question has been asked by those who have lost jobs and incomes. I ask each of us to consider how this same question has been asked by those who live in undesirable homes with pests and monthly choices of which utility to turn back on for now.

I ask each of us to consider how this same question has been asked by those who have to live extra carefully because of their skin color or gender or gender orientation. “What Now?”

Does God understand what we are going through? How long will God put up with this? Doesn’t God understand how much of an inconvenience and challenge our daily life is? Then I am reminded the words of Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We were never promised an easy comfortable life. We are asked to trust God and Jesus Christ and to follow in the teachings. We are reminded that no matter if we live with a large family or in a home by our self we are never truly alone for God is with us.

So I leave you with the same question “What Now?” Just as the people throughout the ages have asked this same question I leave you the same answer; we are not alone. mmanuel, God with us. So I leave you with the blessing of this great presence in our wilderness. Know that you are remembered and loved in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

In Ministry Together,
Pastor Craig

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