Dear Evergreen Family:
It was amazing to see those who attended our outdoor 9:00 a.m. service this past Sunday! Granted, the experience was far from perfect. We had to keep our distance from one another. We had to be outside. We had to wear face coverings. We couldn’t sing. The list goes on.
The good news is that the inconveniences are all temporary, and we’re moving in the right direction. Things will get better as the weeks go by. The great blessing is that we were able to see each other again! Praise God!
Maybe all of this is re-teaching us that the church is not the building or the electricity or the equipment or the fellowship food. The church is us! The biblical word for church is ekklesia, which means “those who are called out for the purpose of coming together.”
We, you and I, have been called out of a broken world, remade by God, and called together for the purpose of carrying out God’s mission in the world. Our worship this past Sunday painted that picture so well. The signs of our broken world were plenty (the face coverings and the distance). The signs of God’s re-creation were plenty (the smiles underneath the masks and the joy of celebrating Christ together). The signs of us being a people of mission were plenty (us refusing to let the light of Jesus flicker out on our watch).
This past Sunday was far from perfect. But we were the church. And that, we will continue to be.
May God bless us all.
Your Fellow Minister in Christ,
Mark
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