"High Tech - Low Touch" by Pastor Welty

When I was in seminary, I remember a book entitled "Megatrends" by John Naisbitt.  One of the phrases he used was "high tech, low touch".  That's a good description of the current state of most of our interactions.  We have become dependent on technology over personal interactions.  What is fascinating is that the book "Megatrends"  was written in 1982.  In 2020, we have certainly become "high tech, low touch".

One year ago we started hearing of something called the corona virus.  At first it seemed like it was someone else's problem, but soon it became our problem as well as the virus quickly spread around the globe.  It's amazing that a microscopic virus has stopped us all in our tracks and disrupted our lives so profoundly.

If I had told you on March 8, 2020 that many of you wouldn't attend a worship gathering for at least a year, you might have thought I was out of my mind, but that is exactly what happened.  Our last "full" worship gathering was on March 8, 2020.  The following Saturday, we had a memorial service for our dear friend, Betty Shirk.  The next day our church was only half full, but that was just the beginning.  Soon state requirements limited how many could be in the building for worship.  We responded as many churches did by "going virtual".  We invested in the necessary equipment, so that we could broadcast our services. 

During the early weeks of our worship gatherings being closed to public , our church felt more like a television studio than a sanctuary, and that was novel, but as the weeks went by,  the novelty wore off, and I began to miss being together with my church family  more and more.   Gradually we have opened up and some of you have trickled back in, but I long for the day when we will be able to worship together as an entire family again.

Covid-19 has turned all of our lives upside down.  Our big plans for 2020 were left behind as we all had to adjust to our new reality.  As I looked back at my calendar from 2020, I noticed that I had to cross out many appointments.    In person meetings were replaced with "Zoom" meetings or "Google Hangouts".  One on one meetings and "Fellowship Time" conversations were replaced with phone calls, emails and text messages.  We have definitely become "high tech, low touch", and I am weary of it.

But now it's a year later, and amazingly several vaccines have been developed to fight Covid-19.  I don't know if we'll ever return to what life was like before the pandemic, but I am hopeful that as more people are vaccinated, more might feel ready to return to public worship.  I just want you to know that you are all missed, and I look forward to the day when we as a church will be able to gather together again to worship our great God and support and encourage each other in person.

"Pursue the New" by Pastor Welty

2020 was a difficult year and we were ready for a new year.  But will tearing a page off a calendar really improve our situation?  We'll still be dealing with Covid-19 and all of its implications as well as a polarized country.

 Some of you are fans of the movie "The Princess Bride".  Beth sent me a meme about 2020 using a "Princess Bride" reference.  After Wesley was hooked up to "The Machine" in  "The Pit of Despair", Count Rugen said to him,  "I've just sucked one year of your life away" And Wesley responded:  "Please tell me it was 2020."

 2020 was a challenging year for all of us – more for some than others.  For most of us it was a year filled with some inconveniences such as wearing masks and social distancing.  But others faced some serious difficulties - illness, loss of income, loss of loved ones .

 In  Isaiah 43:18-19  God was promising to bring the people of  Israel out of Babylon. They had been exiled to Babylon, but God was promising to bring them home. He said:   “Forget the former things;   do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the wilderness  and streams in the wasteland.

 After what we’ve been through in 2020, We can hope that God will do a new thing in our world  in our external circumstances.  As vaccines for Covid 19 are being administered, we can hope that things in our world will improve. 

 But perhaps the new thing God wants to do for us is really about our internals. He wants to change us from the inside and give us a new heart

 The Prophet Ezekiel got more specific about the "new thing"  God intended to do  for His people when he said:  “‘ I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.  I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean;  I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.   And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."    (Ezekiel 36:24-27)

 God did change their external circumstances; he brought  them back to their homeland, but he planned to do more. He wanted to change their hearts and spirits from their rebellious propensities. He wanted to move them "to follow His decrees and be careful to keep His laws."

 Micah 6:8  gives a great summary of what God wants.   He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

 You may have made some New Year's resolutions and you might even be keeping them so far. Those resolutions often involve externals such as losing weight, exercising more, eating better. Maybe our resolutions also include plans to read God's word and pray more. Tangible things that we feel we can control.

 But maybe some other New Year's resolutions to consider are the less tangible things.  Things that are harder to control and require that we ask God for help Things like acting justly, loving mercy   and walking humbly with our God. Justice, mercy and humility are important attributes to aspire to.

 As we come into 2021 - let's trust God to help us experience the newness described in  2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,  the new creation has come:   The old has gone, the new is here!

Happy Birthday Dad! by Pastor Welty

Dear Dad,

I was thinking about you today, probably because today would have been your 100th birthday.  I was thinking about how blessed I am to have had a father like you.  You weren't perfect, and I'm sure you know that, but you were pretty good. 

When I had heart surgery,  my surgeon went over my profile.  "Let's see", he said, "You don't smoke or drink.  You exercise regularly and you seem to eat right."  Then he paused and said,  "You just chose the wrong father."  I beg to differ with him.  If I could have had a choice, I don't think I could have found a better father.  

Genetics can be a bane and blessing.  Sure I may have inherited high cholesterol and cardio vascular disease from you.  But your legacy is so much richer and so much greater than that.  You were a great example of faithfulness to God and faithfulness to your family. 

Beth, my new wife, who I know you would like, made an observation when we were at our family reunion in Ohio.   As we toured the rescue mission where you served and lived for so many years, and as she heard us tell the stories about you and mom and your ministry, she told me that I had a wonderful heritage of ministry.  I agree, and it was nice to be reminded of that.

You started out as a school teacher, something you loved and were good at, but then you felt a call to work with your father in the rescue mission that he started , the mission which serves people in the inner city who struggle with substance abuse and homelessness.   You could have found a nice house in the suburbs to raise your family, but instead the large apartment in the back of the mission was our home.   You and mom made it a wonderful home for us to grow up in, and we didn't feel  that we were missing out on anything.  We gained an appreciation for service from a young age as you taught us about working hard and caring for people in need. 

Because I was your youngest child, my older siblings like to remind me that you were easier on me, and that maybe true.  Or maybe you were just exhausted from parenting by the time I was on the scene.  I do remember feeling frustrated with you at times and your rules - as most teenagers are with their parents, but I also remember you showing me kindness and compassion at the moments when I needed it most. 

After my sophomore year in college, I was feeling weary and wanted to take a little break.  There didn't seem to be a good moment to inform you of my plans until you were in the hospital recovering from hernia surgery.  Your situation seemed to provide the cover from your negative response, but it didn't.  When I told you about my plans, you raised up out of the bed and let me know that I was going to return to school and complete my degree.  Because, as you noted, "If you give up now, you might never return."  You were probably right.  You showed me that you not only valued education, but you valued me as well.

After mom died in 1994, I felt that I lost you as well.  Mom had apparently been covering for your memory loss that we later found out was Alzheimer's disease.  When I heard that you had passed away on August 27, 2005, I remember feeling numb because I had already lost you.  We spoke regularly on the phone, and you always knew who I was - perhaps because we shared the same name, but I would always have to remind you about my family, where I lived and what I was doing.  My numbness faded away at the funeral as the chaplain from the Mennonite Home, where you had lived your last days, shared about how you were his "unofficial assistant".  He told how you cared for people and prayed for them.  At that point I remembered what a kind and compassionate man you were, and I wept.  I realized again how blessed I was to have a father who was such a good man and good example.   

That was fifteen years ago, and now it's December 15, 2020. 

Happy Birthday, Dad,  I love you and miss you.

Love, Jim     

Is the Super Bowl Cancelled?

I was walking through a local park one day and noticed that the play ground had been cordoned off, and the basketball hoops were taken down.  Spring is here, but in this season of new beginnings and breaking out of our winter cocoons,  we all have to hibernate and stay away from each other, so our parks, which would normally be bustling with activity this time of year, are empty.

As a sports fan one of the big disappointments of our current reality was the cancellation of the NCAA basketball tournament. I admit that I'm a fickle fan, so I don't really pay much attention until the post-season tournaments come around, but the Sweet 16 and then the Final Four are so exciting.  I missed that this year.

Government officials have told us that our response to the coronavirus should be to avoid social contact as much as possible.  We have had to cancel or postpone events that we wanted to be a part of.  One of these is Easter.  We'll be live streaming our Easter worship time instead of gathering together and repeating to each other those powerful and familiar words:  "Christ is risen.  He is risen, indeed."  

A few Easters ago I was in the Pomperaug High School cafeteria,  preparing for our worship service.  I must have looked a little disheveled and may have inadvertently had my pant leg tucked into my sock.  One of the men in the church jokingly challenged me saying, "Jim, get it together.  This is the Super Bowl."  We laughed, but I thought about it.  Easter Sunday is the Super Bowl for churches.   It's our big day when we gather to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus from the dead and the hope that gives us.  Unlike the Super Bowl, we celebrate that the victory has already been won. 

So even though we won't be able to meet together this year for our Easter celebration.  The Super Bowl is not cancelled.  Because Christ rose from the dead victoriously, and whether we are together or staying home, we are rejoicing in the same truth  - "Christ is risen.  He is risen, indeed."  

Acts 2:24 tells us that  "God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him."  What a great thought.  It was impossible for death to hold onto Jesus.  He is the author of life.  So we say with Paul
"Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
 “Where, O death, is your victory?   Where, O death, is your sting?
  But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:54-57

I love the old hymn "He Lives" .  There are some great lyrics in that song  but also some impossible notes.  As you sing the verse, you think these notes are easy enough, but then you get to the chorus and you've got to stand on your tip toes and screech like a sea gull to hit a couple of those notes.   You don't have to sing it to appreciate these great lyrics that remind us  that our Savior is with us.

I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today
I know that He is living, whatever men may say
I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer
And just the time I need Him,  He’s always near.

He lives.  He lives.  Christ Jesus lives today.
He walks with me and talks with me  along life’s narrow way. 
He lives.  He lives.  Salvation to impart.
You ask me how I know He lives.  He lives within my heart.

In all the world around me I see His loving care.
And though my heart grows weary, I never will despair
I know that He is leading through all the stormy blasts.
The day of His appearing will come at last.

Rejoice, rejoice O Christian, lift up your voice and sing.
Eternal Hallelujahs to Jesus Christ, the King!
The Hope of all who seek Him, the Help of all who find
None other is so loving, so good and kind.

May God bless you all and may you sense His living presence with you as you celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

All I can do is pray... - Pastor Welty

Have you ever heard yourself say the words, "All I can do is pray".  Maybe you're in a situation where you feel very limited even though you want to do something.   Probably most of us have said something like that, and then we hopefully felt convicted by the words that came from our mouths as if praying was a throw away activity.

Recently our church held a memorial service for a long time member and matriarch to many of us, Betty Shirk.  She and her husband Norm were a vital part of our church for years. One of the things many of us remember about Betty was her vibrant prayer life.  When you had the opportunity to pray with her, it was a distinct privilege.  Her strong faith in God and her compassion for people made her prayers covetable. 

As she got older and her life became more limited physically. She at times wondered why she was still here, after all her husband had gone to be with the Lord.  "Why am I still here?", she would ask.  Our answer would be,  "Because we need you to pray for us."  That was true, but who of us would want to be set aside like that just so we could pray.

This year the words "corona virus" and "Covid-19" forced their way into our vocabularies and into our world.  This virus is causing our world to slow down and in some cases shut down.  This will likely cause us to suspend gathering for Sunday worship for the time being.   Many of us love to gather to worship:  to sing our praises to God, to pray together, to study God's word and fellowship - or hang out with each other.  We may have to rely on technology to have a somewhat limited worship experience from our own homes.

Perhaps we should see this as a time to  be still, and know that He is God; to see Him exalted among the nations and in the earth.  (Psalm 46:10).  For us to pray in our homes to see God exalted in our world in the midst of these difficult circumstances.  We may not enjoy the necessary sequestration, but perhaps we can see it as an opportunity to spend time away from our usual frenetic lifestyles, so we can focus on God and family.  Maybe we can learn from our dear friend, Betty and not be dismissive of prayer as the only thing we can do, but may our perspective be changed as we realize that when we pray we are entering the presence of Almighty God.

Several years ago Stephen Curtis Chapman wrote a song entitled "Great Expectations" You can hear the song and read the lyrics at this link  Great Expectations

In the song he talks about the familiarity of prayer, and how we enter into prayer repeating the words and phrases somewhat by rote, but then something shifts as we think about where we are . Here are the words to the chorus that change our perspective on prayer.

But dare I go where I don't understand  
And do I dare remember where I am
I stand before the great eternal throne 
The one that God Himself is seated on and I,
I've been invited as a son Oh I,  
I've been invited to come and
Believe the unbelievable 
Receive the inconceivable
And see beyond my wildest imagination 
Lord, I come with great expectations

I invite you to see this time of being sequestered as an opportunity to seek God, to call out to God for our nation and our world, to come with Great Expectations.  Claim his promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14 " ... if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."  Believe in Him to redeem this situation in an incredibly creative way for His glory. That sounds like something our Heavenly Father would love to do.