Fun-size!

In case you don't read the newsletter, here's my On Second Thought for November 2021...

Other than Easter and Christmas, Halloween has always been our family’s favorite holiday. It’s just so much fun! I think we probably have more Halloween decorations than any other holiday, with the exception of Christmas. Friendly ghosts, funny witches, pumpkin lights, and Pirate Pete adorn our front porch this time of year, welcoming Trick-or-Treaters to our house.

When the kids were little we would dress up in our own costumes and walk the neighborhood with them on Halloween night. Mamaw and Pap would come visit so someone was at home to hand out the candy. Now that the kids are too old for Trick-or-Treating we no longer dress up. But we do sit on our porch and welcome the children as we “ooh” and “aah” over their costumes and put candy into their already bulging bags of sweet treats.

When I was a child and went Trick-or-Treating, candy bars were regular, full-size bars. That’s all that was available back then, I guess. Sure, sometimes I got a popcorn ball or some candy corn. One lady in our neighborhood gave out small bunches of grapes in little Ziploc bags! Mostly, though, it was candy bars - full-size Snickers, Hershey bars, Almond Joys, Heath Bars, Mars Bars, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Milky Ways, 3 Musketeers, or Baby Ruths.

Now, however, there are several different sizes of candy bars for Halloween (and I guess other times of the year, too). There are king-size, full-size, fun-size, and bite-size of just about every major brand. We always get variety bags of the fun size because, well, fun! The king-size ones are out of the question; who does that? The bite-size ones are too small; they just leave you wanting more and they make you look stingy or cheap. The full-size ones are too big; they take up too much room in the bag, have too much sugar and calories for little ones, they are expensive, they force you to commit to only one brand, they make the neighbors look bad, plus, while the kids might like them they make the parents wonder what kind of old kook you are!

Fun-size candy bars are just the right size. They have all of the flavor of the full-size bars without all the calories, carbs, and sugar. The chocolate to filling ratio is smaller, so they are healthier. You don’t have to commit to just one kind of bar. You can put four different ones in the bag and it’s the same as giving out a full-size but the kids get to sample a variety of treats. It’s a win-win!

A lot of you have told me you are worried about the size of our congregation. There aren’t as many people here as there used to be. We can’t do all the things we used to. The sanctuary just feels so empty. No one comes on Wednesday nights anymore. We need to grow or we are going to die. I have heard variations on these statements for the last 5 years and I think it’s time to change our mindset. I think instead of thinking of our congregation as “no longer full-size”, it’s time to start thinking of our congregation as fun-size!

A fun-size congregation has all of the flavor of a full-size one without all of the baggage. You know, a big staff, high administrative costs, anonymity of members, the so-called sacred cows, only one “right” way to do things, and so on. In a fun-size congregation everyone knows everyone and is invested in each other’s lives, the pastor to member ratio is smaller, and there can be more room for variety among its membership. A fun-size congregation can experiment, try new things, find what works, and let go of what doesn’t. A fun-size congregation can be healthier, it doesn’t have to be one-size-fits-all, it can find more room for difference and diversity.

I once read this unique and interesting definition: Fun is the feeling of finding something new in something familiar. In a fun-size congregation everything is still familiar, but there is the possibility of finding something new as we find new ways to answer God’s call to be his witnesses. Even by just by making small variations to things we’ve always done we can experience them in new ways.

I would like to challenge you to find the fun in being a welcoming, faithful, and hopeful community, to find the new in the familiar. Let's think of new ways we can follow Jesus and serve him in the world just as we are right now. Let’s be who we are rather than who we think we are supposed to be.

The Christian Church in America isn’t the same as it was 50 years ago. We are not the same congregation we were 50, 25, or even 10 years ago. And that’s okay. After all, fifty years ago very few people gave out fun-size bars; now it’s the #1 choice for Halloween candy. There’s a reason for that. Come on – it’ll be fun!

Covid is Still a Problem - Despite What We See in the Community

 Hey everyone - 

This is just information for those who may not be following recent trends. We have been following the Percent Positive Tests for Covid in our community. Monday was the highest number since December with 41.32% positive. Tuesday was 28%, a number not seen since February with the exception of Monday. September's 7-Day Rolling average was a plateau between 20-25%. We went below 20% at the end of September and have been sitting at another plateau between 15-18%. However, this week saw a sharp uptick and we are once again just under 20%.

All this to say - despite what we see in the community, with very few people masked indoors, groups choosing to gather together indoors, full football stadiums, and people going about their business as if Covid is no longer a thing, this is not the case. Don't let what you see create a false sense of security. Yes - we have a growing awareness that Covid will always be with us in some form and we have to live our lives. However, when the numbers are this high I believe we should be doing more to mitigate the spread of this disease. We should be taking as many precautions as we can right now. Once we get down below 10% - or even better - 5%, then will be the time to relax. That time is not now. Please take precautions. Wear a mask. Stay home if you can. Get vaccinated. Get the booster if you are eligible. Think of others at all times - even if they aren't thinking of you.

Grace and peace...

Tim

Promoting the General Welfare

This post doesn’t have much to do with theology or the life of 2^nd Presbyterian Church, but I just feel the need to say this. Please feel free to not read it, or to stop reading if you don’t like it.

I have sometimes been accused of not being patriotic or not loving our country due to my criticism of what I perceive to be things we should be doing better. Nothing could be further from the truth, however. I love America and am grateful to have been born here. I am grateful for the freedoms and rights we enjoy as American citizens, freedoms for which many have fought and died. I was taught in my youth that one of the most patriotic things we can do is to hold our country, its people, and its leaders to the high ideals our Founding Fathers set for us, and to be critical when we are falling short of those ideals.

These ideals are laid out in our founding documents – The Declaration of Independence, The United States Constitution, and The Bill of Rights. I don’t believe they were “God-ordained”, but I do believe they were “Spirit-inspired”, and I do not think it is hyperbole to say that these documents are some of the most important documents ever written by human beings. After each of my children completed the 5^th grade, I took them for a week-long trip to our Nation’s Capital so that they would have an appreciation of our country’s history and polity. One of the highlights of each trip was going to the National Archives and seeing these documents in person. I wanted my children to revere the philosophies contained in these documents and the high ideals to which we should aspire as Americans, even if we have not always, as a nation, lived up to them.

We’ve been hearing a great deal lately about freedoms and rights. Those who do not wish to be vaccinated or wear a mask claim that they have the freedom not to do so and that it is an infringement on their rights to mandate that they do so. Essentially, they are saying that they have the right to do what they wish when it comes to their bodies, their health, and that of their children. (Interestingly, those same people seem not to honor the “my body, my choice” argument when it comes to abortion, but that’s a different blog post for a different time!) Their claims for these freedoms and rights appeal to the founding documents that are so precious to us as Americans, and they are not wrong. The Constitution and, especially, The Bill of Rights grant great individual freedoms to the citizens of our country.

Lost in this discussion, however, is a much more important argument – the reason these rights exist in the first place. With all of the focus on individual rights granted by The Constitution and Bill of Rights, we seem to have lost sight of what is arguably the best and most important part of The United States Constitution – the Preamble. If you’re like me, you had to memorize it in 5^th grade. I don’t know that students are still required to do this, but they should be. It lays out the whole reason for the rights enshrined in The Constitution and Bill of Rights in the first place.

You’ll remember it begins, We, the people… Not We the Founding Fathers…, or We, the land-owners…, or We, the elected representatives of the people…, or We, the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans… It’s us – all of us, together. The Constitution invites all of us from the very beginning to be part of the Great Experiment that is about to begin. We are in this thing together.

Then come the reasons for everything that follows, In order to… I won’t list them all – you probably know them – but I do want to highlight a few.

form a more perfect union… I love this. How can anything be more perfect? Right up front we are saying that we know we are not perfect but that should always strive to be better, always strive to meet the ideals laid out in our founding documents. We should never be complacent, thinking that we have reached our destination. We can always be more just, more equal, more perfect than we already are.

establish justice, insure domestic tranquility… The reason we have our freedoms is so that justice and tranquility will prevail. Both seem to be in short supply at the moment. I recently saw a TV show with a fictional judge who was fed up with how our justice system treats people of low socio-economic standing, mostly people of color, who do not have the means to manipulate the system as the wealthy corporations do. He said, “Justice isn’t justice if it’s not just.” As for tranquility? Just turn on the news. Or attend a Knox County School Board meeting.

promote the general welfare… This is the big one that seems to have been forgotten. Because it is We, the people who are in this together, the general welfare of the nation and the common good of all the people of our nation should be our primary goal. This means that, on occasion, our individual rights and freedoms must be put aside for the betterment of the whole. It means we have to look out for each other, do what’s best for others, even if that means making a sacrifice ourselves. This is what it truly means to be American, what it really means to be patriotic. A rising tide buoys all ships. This is why throughout the history of our country, public health has always taken precedence over individual rights. I don’t know why people aren’t getting this now, especially when it is our children that need to be protected most at the moment.

and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity… The blessings of liberty aren’t just for us; they are for all who will come after us. What we do now has a ripple effect into the future. If we ignore these ideals in the present, they will be weakened for future generations. We must not only think of the general welfare now, but the general welfare 50, 100, or 200 years from now. All who will ever live in this great country deserve the blessings of liberty that we have received.

Okay, I said I wasn’t going to list all of them, but I only left out one. provide for the common defense… Actually, I think we’re doing pretty well with that one!

The point is this. The Declaration of Independence says we have the right to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. This is true, as long as my rights do not infringe upon another’s. I do not have the right to take someone else’s life. Nor do I have the right to force my religious beliefs upon others. I do not have the right to drive whatever speed I choose or ignore traffic signals. I do not have the right to imprison someone in my basement in my pursuit of happiness, just because I don’t like something he did or said. These things infringe upon the rights of others so they must be tempered by the general welfare.

So when someone’s right not to get vaccinated or wear a mask infringes on my right to life, or the right to life of our children, or my liberty to freely go where I choose without fear of contracting a potentially deadly disease, those rights have to be tempered by the general welfare, as well. Likewise, if we really want to promote the general welfare, we will do what’s best for the whole, even if that means making a few adjustments to the way we behave for a little while.

We’re supposed to all be in this together, seeking a more perfect union, establishing justice, ensuring domestic tranquility, promoting the general welfare, and securing the blessings of liberty, not just for ourselves, but for all to come. When we live up these ideals, I celebrate that and give thanks to God that I was born in this wonderful country, one that isn’t perfect but is seeking to become more so. When are not living up to these ideals, however, I believe it is my patriotic duty to point that out. And friends, when it comes to our response to Covid as a nation, we are not living up to them.

Last thing – I realize that if you have made it this far, you most likely agree with what I’m saying. Maybe not, but most likely. Great. I’m glad. But how do we have this conversation with those that don’t agree in a positive way without shaming them? That’s what I’ve been pondering lately. I think the best way is to appeal to our mutual patriotism and to remind people of the Preamble to The Constitution, the reason we have these rights in the first place. I hope I can do it kindly, with love and not anger, with reason and not frustration, but I find it hard these days. I would love to hear your thoughts below.

 

 

A Theological Sin

 Hello all - 

A few years ago I did some study seminars with the Foundation for Reformed Theology. As a result, I am on their email list. While I read a lot of things from many different sources each week, this email I received from the Foundation yesterday was particularly comforting, uplifting and inspiring to me, given the times in which we are living. I hope it is to you.

Peace...

PT

Dear Friends of The Foundation for Reformed Theology:

 A Theological Sin

I once heard John Leith give a lecture on the church in which he quoted Calvin from Book IV of The Institutes: "Although the melancholy desolation which confronts us on every side may cry that no remnant of the church is left, let us know that Christ's death is fruitful, and that God miraculously keeps his church as in hiding places." In this section Calvin is unfolding his doctrine of the church but this particular passage has as much to do with reminding us of the source of our hope as it does with the life of the church itself. The counsel here is not to despair.

Despair, bitterness, even anger at the way things are constitute temptations to those who would live by faith and not by sight. They are also, in a weird way, the residue of love. If one did not love the church so much, if one did not invest so much of one's heart in its mission and life, if one did not dare to undertake great things in its service, then one would not feel so much despair at its wreckage, or bitterness at our blasted hopes, or anger at all the ways the church has failed. A studied indifference would never yield such despair. Only love can risk such a temptation.

Yet, as Augustine has taught us, even our loves can be disordered, and our despair just another name for pride. The great thing about feeding on our disappointments is that there is no shortage of supply. Still, there is something deeper here than just a kind of discouragement that afflicts all who seek to minister to God's people. The great opponent of despair and bitterness is not our virtues, not our ability to conjure up more cheerful moods. No, the great opponent, even enemy of such demons is Jesus Christ. He has always called out such demons and confronted them with a gospel that is neither angry nor bitter, neither triumphalistic nor proud. Instead, he gives himself to us such that despair and bitterness can be given no quarter in our thinking and doing. He reveals these demons to be signs of death. And he reveals himself as the One who conquers through the Cross. Jesus is Victor! The crucified and risen Lord reigns over this world, over this sinful world, over all our failures, bitter defeats, and painful despair. They are not more powerful than he is. And they cannot be taken more seriously than his victory over sin and death. One does not have to be a Norman Vincent Peale to acknowledge that the good news of Jesus Christ should put a smile on all our faces. He is Lord! And it is a sin to love our disappointments more than we do his victory.

So, what about the church? I suspect that being a faithful Christian is never easy, and that challenges always abound, perhaps different ones but just as difficult in different times and places. The church I grew up in during the 1950s no longer exists, which is, in truth, not such a bad thing. However, the church that seeks to minister in our fractured and divided world today, does so from a weaker position in the culture than formerly. Even being a Presbyterian today is something of a counter-cultural calling. Perhaps such has always been the case. The Reformed tradition is not a populist tradition. But that should not bother us, or it should bother us as little as Israel was bothered by being small and comparatively weak piece on the chessboard of the ancient world. We will, in any case, accomplish little good by playing to the culture's anger and divisions. Far better to do something different: to rejoice in the gifts that draw us together and enable us to witness with a full heart and generous spirit.

Some of the congregations my father served are barely hanging on today, and others have closed. I am in regular conversation with friends in churches I once served whose faithfulness in the face of adversity makes me weep with gratitude for them and their witness. Rather than bemoaning what they no longer have, they embrace the calling to which God has called them in this time and place. They rejoice that God has called them to witness here. And now. They refuse to be embittered, not because they have such reserves of will power but because they know who has won the battle, who is Lord, who will let nothing separate us from his love. And because they know that, they can be ridiculously confident. They can "smile at all their foes," even their own demons of bitterness and despair, turning instead to work on things that truly matter.

So how do we go forward when faced with the "melancholy desolation which confronts us on every side"? In his address to a group of pastors in Germany delivered in July of 1922, later published as "The Need and Promise of Christian Preaching," Karl Barth ends his remarks by also quoting Calvin. In this case, he quotes from Calvin's commentary on Micah 4:6: "Although the church is at the present time hardly to be distinguished from a dead or at best sick man, there is no reason for despair, for the Lord raises up his own suddenly, as he waked the dead from the grave. This we must clearly remember, lest, when the church fails to shine forth, we conclude too quickly that her life has died utterly away. But the church in the world is so preserved that she rises suddenly from the dead.... Let us cling to the remembrance that she is not without her resurrection, or rather, not without her many resurrections." (The Word of God and the Word of Man, p. 135)

That is how we go forth, not with strategies of success or the power of our own virtues but from death to resurrection. In Wendell Berry's words, we are called to "practice resurrection." The risen Lord will not let us feed off our own bitterness or despair.

Pious words? On the evening of December 9, 1968, the night before he died, Barth talked on the telephone with his old friend, Eduard Thurneysen. 1968 was not a great year in either American (assassinations, riots, protests) or Europe. Before he hung up, Barth told his friend that despite the darkness, it was vital to "not lose heart!" There is still One who reigns, even Jesus Christ.

It is a sin, a theological sin to lose heart as if Jesus has not been raised from the dead, as if the risen Lord does not reign, as if his light were unable to pierce our darkness. It is selfish to "lose heart" and feed off our resentments. They are not our sacrament. Besides, there are so many more important things to do, not least is to receive the gift of studying with Augustine, Calvin, Barth, and so many others who have found encouragement and hope in the victory of Jesus Christ. It is that victory that gives us confidence and energy to embrace this world, to love Christ's church, and to care for the least and last and lost whom he claims for his own. And it is that victory that enables us to be glad that we are called to live in this day and time - not yesterday or whenever we thought it was better - but this day and time. This is the day the Lord has made. We are to rejoice and be glad in it.

The Foundation for Reformed Theology exists to help pastors and elders not to lose heart, but rather to drink deeply from the wells of the Christian faith, to rejoice in the company of others who have walked this way, often in the face of far greater adversity than we encounter, and to read and study and prepare to surprise an often sad and all too wise world with the unexpected good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Thomas W. Currie, Interim Director of The Foundation for Reformed Theology

 Hey Everyone - 

According to today's News Sentinel, active Covid cases in Knox county more than doubled in the last week from 198 on July 14 to 414 today. New cases have doubled from 20 to 44. The majority of these cases are individuals who are not vaccinated and are mostly the result of the new, more transmissible Delta variant. The director of the CDC said this week, "This is now a pandemic of the unvaccinated." Just under 49% of Knox county residents have been fully vaccinated, which is better than the state vaccination rate of 38% who are fully vaccinated and 43% who have received at least one dose.

State Senator Richard Briggs, who is also a physician, said, "To think that somehow Tennessee will be spared this next wave of the Delta variant, I think is just being very naive and being hopeful and not facing reality." Knox County Health Department lead epidemiologist, Roberta Strum, said that the KCHD is not surprised by the recent spike in cases and that cases are expected to increase.

The good news is that those who are vaccinated are not at serious risk from the Delta variant. So-called "breakthrough" infections are relatively rare, and even when they occur they do not cause serious illness. The bad news is that even the vaccinated can have breakthrough infections and can, in turn, pass the virus on to the unvaccinated. While adults have the choice whether or not to be vaccinated, no vaccine has yet been authorized for children under the age of 12, putting them at risk of infection. The even worse news is that Delta variant Covid infections among children are on the rise.

If you know someone who is not vaccinated, or if you, yourself, are not, I strongly to encourage you to click the link below and read the article from AL.com about a physician's recent Facebook post on Sunday.

"I'm Sorry, but it's too late": Alabama doctor treating unvaccinated, dying COVID patients

The Session will be monitoring Knox county Covid cases and will determine if or when it may be necessary to reinstate protective measures in worship, such as face coverings or increased physical distancing. For now, we will continue along our path of phased easing of restrictions.

The best and safest way to avoid any changes to the easing of restrictions, and the best way to protect others, especially our families with children, is to get the vaccine. PLEASE, if you have not, go and get your Covid vaccine today.

Grace and peace...

Pastor Tim

Baby James Update

 A few months ago, my brother called my mom and asked, “Are we still worried about James?” 

 

Some of you may be wondering the same thing and be hesitant to ask, so I thought I’d give a little update. Others of you may not even know that we were worried about James to begin with; so before I give an update, let me give a little background.

 

About 5 weeks before his due date, my doctor raised some concern about James’ femur measurements on an ultrasound. If you consult Doctor Google, there are all sorts of things that this might indicate. We were sent to the high-risk OB to have further measurements taken, and that is where the roller coaster began. They measured his other long bones and found that they too were measuring well behind his gestational age. The determination after all this measuring was that we were looking at a high likelihood of a skeletal dysplasia, of which there are about 400 different types; and there was no way to know which one he might have. The most common type, however, is achondroplasia – more commonly known as dwarfism.

 

Over the next few weeks, we went from doctor appointment to doctor appointment, dreading each one a little bit more because the picture seemed to get more and more grim at each one. We heard everything from, ‘it may just be his stature that is affected,’ to ‘he may not have enough room for his heart and lungs,’ to ‘you may have to make decisions about removing support after he’s born’. And all the while, they also continued to tell us, ‘it could be nothing, but all the measurements and ratios we’re seeing point to something’. The term roller coaster may actually be a gross understatement!

 

Fast forward to his birth, and there were about 20 people in the room including a pediatric team that was prepared to give him an initial once-over and whisk him away to the NICU if necessary. They took him over to the incubator for the pediatric doctor to check him out, and the doctor looked at James and then looked at Andy and said, “now what is it we’re looking for?” So, that was our first sigh of relief. A quick look showed no signs of achondroplasia, and a quick exam showed no need for a NICU stay. 

 

During our stay in the hospital, we saw a geneticist, who also said she saw nothing at first glance that looked to her like achondroplasia; but she did a cheek swab sample to be sent off for genetic testing. 

 

Over his first six months of life, we have gone back and forth with the geneticist’s office, done another cheek swab on James and one on both Andy and me as well. We have gotten a lot of confusing information, because genetics are very confusing. But, we were finally able to meet with the geneticist face to face a couple of weeks ago; and her conclusion was that she saw nothing that would keep James from leading a ‘normal’ life…another HUGE sigh of relief!

 

So, to answer the question: “Are we still worried about James?” The answer is no, by the grace of God, we are not worried about James, at least not for the same reasons that we were worried about him in the weeks leading up to his birth and in the first months of his life. Now we just have the normal worries that people have about their kids, and we will take those worries any day!

 

This update got much longer than anticipated, so thank you for caring enough to read it, and thank you for being a part of the loving community that is helping Andy and me to raise our boys by loving and supporting all of us. We are so, so grateful. 

Here is the text of the video message for those who prefer to read, rather than watch. You can also find a PDF of the text by clicking the red button on the home page of our website, www.2ndpres.org. 

May 19^th, 2021

Greetings friends,

As I’m sure you are aware by now, the CDC updated its COVID-19 guidelines last week regarding the wearing of face coverings indoors for those who are fully vaccinated. At its regularly stated meeting last night, the Session spent time reflecting on this change and what it means for our congregation and our policies regarding the usage of face coverings. After very careful, thoughtful, and prayerful discussion, the Session has made the following decisions:

1. Beginning today, May 19^th, face coverings will be optional for those who are fully vaccinated while in the church building for meetings, Sunday School classes, Bible studies, or other activities, excluding worship. We do request and encourage you to still maintain a safe physical distance from one another and the staff, especially if you choose not to wear a face covering.

2. We are continuing to ask everyone to wear a face covering during worship, as well as practice physical distancing and refrain from physical contact, regardless of vaccination status, through the end of June.

3. Beginning Sunday, July 4^th, face coverings will be optional during worship for those who are fully vaccinated.

I would like to explain some of the reasoning behind this new, bifurcated policy, so you can understand why the Session chose to make the decision they did.

We have said all along that we should follow the science, and we should follow the science now. We have known for several weeks that it is relatively safe to be unmasked while outdoors, even for the unvaccinated. Now, the science tells us that even indoors with groups of people, those who are vaccinated are not likely to transmit the coronavirus to others, nor are they likely to contract it themselves. Even if the vaccinated do contract the virus, the protection from serious illness is quite strong.

By allowing those who are vaccinated to make the choice about whether or not to wear a face covering, we are showing that we not only believe in personal responsibility, but in the efficacy and safety of the vaccine. We also hope this will encourage those who have not yet gotten the vaccine to do so in order to return to “normal” activities sooner, rather than later.

As Christians, we are called to also follow the law of love. We have said all along that wearing face coverings, keeping our distance, refraining from physical contact, washing our hands, and staying home when sick are the ways that we show love to our neighbor. We believe wearing face coverings for a few more weeks in worship is a way to continue to do that.

The reality is people are processing the new recommendations differently. There are some who are ready to go without face coverings immediately. For others, face coverings have become like a security blanket and they will need some time before they feel safe removing them. For still others, those who are immunocompromised or unvaccinated or just very cautious, face coverings will continue to be a way of life for the foreseeable future.

We wish the CDC had given us a few weeks to prepare for the transition that was announced last week, but they didn’t. We, however, have the chance to do just that. By asking the entire congregation to continue to wear face coverings during worship for the next 6 Sundays, regardless of vaccination status, we give those who need it a little extra time to mentally prepare for the next phase in returning to normalcy. We realize that some of you will think this is too long, but we are asking you to consider the needs of others by practicing patience and forbearance.

When the Christians in Corinth were experiencing divisions over the practice of eating meat sacrificed to idols, as well as unequal access to the Lord’s Supper, Paul encouraged them to seek unity. Everything is permitted, he writes in 1 Corinthians 10, but not everything is beneficial; everything is permitted, but not everything builds others up. Paul encourages the Corinthians to think first of the needs of the community. No one should look to their own advantage, he says, but they should look out for each other. We believe that wearing face coverings in worship for just a few more weeks is the best way for us to look out for each other.

Our Vision Statement says that we are a “welcoming” community and we want to be sure that we are truly welcoming of all, regardless of vaccination status. We don’t want to put people in the difficult position of feeling uncomfortable or having to lie about their vaccination status, we don’t want people to feel unsafe during worship, and we don’t want the focus to be on who is and who is not wearing a mask. As Pastor Sarah said so well on Sunday, “If our focus is on who is and who isn’t vaccinated, our focus isn’t where it should be, on God.” We want to continue to focus on God during worship and we believe all of us continuing to wear face coverings is the way to do that for now.

Finally, I want to say a word about how we should treat one another regarding the issue of face coverings, whether in the building for activities now, or in worship starting July 4^th. Wearing a face covering is a matter of personal choice, regardless of vaccination status. It is not a political statement, it is not an ideological statement, it is not a judgment statement. It as an article of clothing – no more, no less. Some people choose to wear a tie to worship, others choose not to. Some people choose to wear short sleeves, others choose to wear a sweater. Some people wear pants, and some people wear dresses, and some people wear shorts.

And some people will choose to wear a face covering while others will not. We wouldn’t say to someone, “Why are you wearing a sweater? It’s summer! You don’t have to wear that.” We wouldn’t come to a committee meeting and say, “Why are you wearing blue jeans? No one else is wearing blue jeans.” In the same way, we shouldn’t say to someone, “Why are you wearing a mask? You know we don’t have to wear those anymore, right?” Nor should we say to someone, “You’re not wearing a mask! How dare you be so thoughtless.”

Let’s put our trust in one another and have the confidence that each person will choose what’s best for themselves and for those around them. Let us be respectful and understanding of each person’s right to wear whatever they choose, face coverings included. The science says it’s safe not to; psychology says some will want to; the Bible says to practice love and forbearance in our relationships with others.

One last thing regarding some of the other decisions that have been made regarding worship. You will notice this Sunday that hymnbooks and Bibles have been returned to the pews. Since the science says transmission of the virus through contact with objects is negligible, and since we have only one worship service a week and these books will not be touched by multiple people in a short span of time, we feel it is safe for those who choose to use them again to do so. The Scripture readings and words to the hymns will continue to be on the screen, both for those at home and for those in the sanctuary who prefer not to use a hymnbook or Bible, but the hymn lyrics will no longer be printed in the bulletin.

Also, for the time being we will continue to celebrate communion using the self-contained, self-serve cups, and we will continue to refrain from passing the offering plates and the pew pads. The Worship Committee and the Session will continue to discuss these, and other issues, throughout the summer.

I continue to lift all of you up in prayer as we navigate the ever-changing nature of this pandemic. I rejoice with those of you who have been able to visit with family and friends again, and I sympathize with those of you who are still being extra cautious. It’s been great to see some of you in person in the building and in worship again, and it’s been uplifting to see that there are still many who are joining us virtually for worship and Bible study. I pray that each of you feel the presence of God in your lives and know the peace of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit in your midst.

Grace and peace…

Pastor Tim