been there...done that....

Been there...done that...seen it....lived through it....

Solomon tells us that there is nothing new under the sun. Have you ever stopped to understand the gravity of those words? Often times we find ourselves thinking that we are the only ones that could do it, but realistically that is not true. I was reminded of that today as I was working to get the livestream edited and posted for tomorrow’s virtual church. All across America, and really the world, churches are posting their services virtual. People already there are doing what they have always done, or new people are stepping up to take the challenge. Nothing new under the sun....

This virus is scary in many aspects, because it feels so new to us. Throughout history though, we have seen as bad, or worse. The Black Plague ravaged Europe. The Spanish Flu ripped through our country. World War 2 brought Europe to it’s knees. Lives were lost, lives were upended, normal changed to a new normal in a heart beat. Nothing new under the sun....

In the first church, we see a similar story to what we see now. We say a church without walls. People met as families in their own homes, sharing bits of the Gospel, worshipping together, sharing Jesus together. Today, we can do the same, we can step outside of our building and into the 1st century church....a virtual one, bound together by the Holy Spirit. Sharing, caring, loving and being Jesus to others. Nothing new under the sun.....

In my mind, I feel like sometimes our world gets a reboot of sorts. We get so focused on the idea of “me” and we shape our world around it. People ask where is God during this? I say, He is here in a real and powerful way. We are seeing people love each other in ways that hasn’t happned in decades. We are checking on our neighbors; Offering financial assistance to those that need it; Sharing our supplies with family and friends; Communicating more frequently with our family. Ironically, when we have all the time in the world to focus on “me”, we desire to connect in a deep way with those that we cannot physically be with. The constant distractions of this world melt away and suddenly we find time to be with our families. God intended us to be a community....and we are blessed with many opportunities to connect to each other in a more meaningful way. Nothing new under the sun....

Peace to you!