Never in my lifetime has there been such a heaviness in the air, and such a spirit of confusion. As I take in a small dose of news each day, I brace myself, thinking: “What is about to happen next?” I have even thought of a famous line from Shake-speare, found in Macbeth: “Something wicked this way comes.” World problems, national problems, local problems (to a lesser degree, praise God!). Those older than I are sharing some of the same thoughts. One preacher who I respect recently wrote about our country, “We are in the worst time of lawlessness that I have witnessed in my 72 years.” And with each new week, there is a new dose of unsettling news.

You have seen, and perhaps in some way experienced, these upheavals in our country, as have I, so there is little need to recap the ever-changing story of the corona virus and its impact at home (in the church!) and across the world. You, like I, have seen the economic fallout from the shutdown of the nation’s economy and our local economy. I know, and you likely know, families who have lost loved ones due to COVID-19. And we all know families who have been hurt financially from the shutdown. Maybe it has even affected your job. You, like I, have seen the racial divisions in our country deepen and harden following the murder of George Floyd. We are living in a divided, angry, violent, rebellious country, a country that is also choked by almost incalculable debt and a partisan, log-jammed political system that on Washington DC’s best days produces feeble results. And again, all of this is happening at the same time this new, highly transmissible and sometimes deadly virus allegedly is lurking just about everywhere.

Now that these reminders of our troubles have likely dredged up your feelings about all of these problems, I have some personal questions. How are you doing, on the inside, where your thoughts and emotions live? How are you holding up? To be sure, there is a strong human temptation at such times to be controlled by anxiety, worry and fear. There is the reaction of anger and a strong temptation to go into battle mode, to get loud and to join the political and cultural bare-knuckle fights playing out in the streets and on all forms of media.

My dear church family, please rest assured that—regardless of these upheavals and the uncertainties—everything is okay for the child of God! In fact, it is better than just okay, because the abundant life that our Lord Jesus Christ provides is avail-able right now. We are certainly not the first to experience upheaval and uncertainty. Regardless of the heaviness in the air at present, there have certainly been darker days faced by the church. And I believe there will likely be darker days ahead. But our Father has always been faithful in these storms, and our Lord’s peace has always been available even in the darkness. Always. No matter what!

uring my own time of soul-searching, the Spirit of God has driven a special verse into my heart. It is Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” When I saw this verse against the backdrop of our current struggles, it was as if I were seeing this verse for the first time! The truths of this verse led to a sermon that I had the opportunity to preach on Sunday, June 28, 2020 entitled “Settling Hearts in Unsettled Times.” There are some sweet, sweet truths in that simple verse, and I invite you to visit our church Facebook page or website to hear the message if you have not yet heard it. Why? Because the message points to Jesus Christ, the “Prince of Peace” who can and will defeat the temptation of being controlled by anxiety, fear, or anger. Also, if you need to talk due to increased struggles of any kind, please know that a
counseling or prayer session can be arranged in a confidential phone call to the church office.

Our God truly does reign.

In Christian love,
John