Our congregation gathered for worship on the first Sunday after Hurricane Ian made its tragic visit to Southwest Florida. It was quite unlike our usual worship experiences in that we had no electricity, so we consequently had no lights, microphones, PowerPoint, air conditioning, or use of the organ. We remembered that Jesus never had such things when He held His meetings, so there was no reason why we couldn’t persevere, and worship Almighty God on the Lord’s Day as was appropriate. We did have battery-powered lights and cameras so our media team could record the service to later post on our website, allowing all to participate as their own services were restored.
Christians naturally desire to gather with their brothers and sisters during troubling times. The people of God want to connect out of concern for each other’s welfare. We seek to comfort and support one another and be reassured ourselves by the collective strength of the Christian community. But most importantly, we are drawn to God Himself to seek Him and His strength, to be reminded of His love, and to hear His word to us. When tragedy strikes, where else would we rather be than with the community of Jesus’ disciples coming to God in faith?
That morning, there was a collective sense of just “feeling right” to be together. Though our hearts ached for those suffering, there was a spirit of gladness to be in church, sharing stories, offering encouragement, shedding a few tears, and hearing what God had to say to us. We prayed, sang hymns, and were ministered to through music. In lieu of a full-length message from a single pastor, five members of our pastoral team each offered a brief message from Scripture that was meaningful for them at that moment.
Pastor Doug began with verses from Isaiah that reminded us that we belong to God, so we should not fear. As we are strengthened from within by His comforting power, we are also to look outward. He then shared the Apostle Paul’s words from Romans 12 that reminded us of our calling to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. In times of great difficulty, we are to look not only to our own needs but also to be with one another during this shared experience.
But this is not an easy task, and Pastor Steven turned to Psalm 55. While the psalmist reflects on the desire to flee from the challenge before him, to somehow turn off the experience and regain some normalcy, knowing he will
have times of grumbling while struggling, he declares that he will turn to God for his peace. Somehow, he knows God will sustain him throughout the ordeal while never abandoning him. It will seem at a time like this that recovery from Ian is taking forever, and there will be the urge to give up. But God’s power is greater than any challenge. He will sustain us all if we put our trust in Him and His purpose, and if we draw our strength to persevere from Him.
Pastor June shared another psalm, this time Psalm 136. She read for us only half of a verse. But what a powerful one! Repeatedly throughout the psalm, there is a refrain that worshippers were to repeat to engrave this truth upon their minds and hearts, “His steadfast love endures forever.”When we face any struggle, no matter how difficult, life-changing, or seemingly beyond our capacity to overcome, this truth is the one thing we can hold on to, that anchors us, that we can always trust: God’s love for us never ends!
Pastor Steve challenged us and sent us forth with our mission. He read from 2 Samuel 9, where we find the question, “Is there someone to whom I may show the kindness of God?” In times of tragedy, what a great opportunity
Pastor Brad concluded the pastors’ message with Matthew 22, where we are exhorted to not only love God but to love our neighbor as well. This has been such an awesome thing to watch; given how much divisiveness and vitriol we have observed in our country of late, our community has willingly come together to help each other rebuild our neighborhoods, businesses, homes, and lives.
by Pastor Steven Grant
