Dear Church Family,
Yesterday an announcement was made that, in order to quell
the spread of COVID-19, only essential services and businesses would remain in
operation in Ontario. While I understand
the intent and importance of these measures, it did cause me to pause and
wonder, “What’s essential?” The Hamilton Spectator this morning asked that same
question. And then what followed was “A
look at businesses that can stay open in Ontario.” It’s quite a list!
The concept that any of us might not be
essential runs contrary to what we read in the Bible. Each one of us is created by God, in his
image, to serve in his kingdom. That high view of humanity is what has inspired
scientific advancement and technological developments and artistic endeavour
through the ages. Sociologist and author
Rodney Stark says this: “SCIENCE AROSE
ONLY IN Europe because only medieval Europeans believed that science was
possible and desirable. And the basis of their belief was their image of God
and his creation. (The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement
Became the World's Largest Religion).
I recall the words of a colleague of mine who spoke at his
own son’s funeral. He said (I’m paraphrasing here) that when Christ returns and
establishes the new earth, we’ll all still be working – construction guys will
still be building houses, artists will still be painting, accountants will
still be balancing the numbers. The only
ones who will be out of a job will be us pastors. That’s because when people ask us to show
them Jesus, we’ll just point and say, “there he is!”
God has created each of us with a purpose. Ephesians
2:10: “We are God’s handiwork, created
in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Go do something good today, something essential.
Pastor Rita
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