March 4th, 2021
By Lani Cole-Mitchell
“ I am sure that God keeps no one waiting unless He sees that it is good for him to wait.” - C.S. Lewis
It has been almost a year since we entered the pandemic and over a year since I joined the team on staff at St. John’s. So much has happened, yet so much has not happened. Honestly, it’s been a year that I will never forget, but looking back, I am grateful for my family and health, this church and the opportunity to worship with you each week, and most importantly, the love of a God who continues to show up when needed most. It’s true that the past year has also held significant loss and grieving, however, in this moment of “waiting” as things start to progress to a new normal, I am filled with hope and excited for what the future holds because I know that God’s got us in all of this.
Worship is the heart of who we are. We are called to worship God in all aspects of our lives and in everything that we do. Colossians 3:16 says: “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
We have found unique ways to worship during these trying times including bringing worship to your home via livestream. Unfortunately, we cannot offer a choir or concert or large worship team each week, but we have brought worship to you intimately, with smaller ensembles, rich harmonies, and songs and hymns that connect with the message, which has enabled us to continue to worship each week together, as one church.
I know that we are waiting…..waiting for a vaccine, or waiting for the numbers to go down, or simply waiting to feel safer to come back to church to worship. Due to us exploring unique ways to worship, I’m excited that we have plans to stay connected and continue to enhance our online worship experience while worshiping in-person as well. The worship ministry is planning to start a worship newsletter that will go out with devotions, song stories and updates, and articles that will highlight members of the worship ministry. We are in the plans of enhancing our online worship from a tech standpoint with equipment that will allow us to bring quality worship experience to those who are worshiping at home. We are also looking to grow our teams in all areas - including tech, worship team, small ensemble (possibly a cappella), and choir. These are open to all people of all ages and we will help train those interested in tech ministry. In fact, we are in need of volunteers who are looking to come back to church and who may be interested in joining our tech ministry team - which could be a task as easy as pushing a button during service!
Maybe in these moments of waiting, you are hearing God call to you? Maybe in these moments of waiting, you are realizing that when you do come back, God has plans for you? I pray that while reflecting this week, friends, you take a moment to breathe in, pause, wait patiently, and allow God to be present, and to embrace the work God is continuously doing in your life.
I’m including a song with this week’s devotion that has been on my heart not just this week, but throughout this past year: “Take Courage” by Bethel Music and Kristene DiMarco. While you worship personally this week, may this song’s melody and lyrics draw you closer to your personal relationship with God. And in this waiting, know that He is there with you meeting you exactly where you need to be met.
“ I am sure that God keeps no one waiting unless He sees that it is good for him to wait.” - C.S. Lewis
It has been almost a year since we entered the pandemic and over a year since I joined the team on staff at St. John’s. So much has happened, yet so much has not happened. Honestly, it’s been a year that I will never forget, but looking back, I am grateful for my family and health, this church and the opportunity to worship with you each week, and most importantly, the love of a God who continues to show up when needed most. It’s true that the past year has also held significant loss and grieving, however, in this moment of “waiting” as things start to progress to a new normal, I am filled with hope and excited for what the future holds because I know that God’s got us in all of this.
Worship is the heart of who we are. We are called to worship God in all aspects of our lives and in everything that we do. Colossians 3:16 says: “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
We have found unique ways to worship during these trying times including bringing worship to your home via livestream. Unfortunately, we cannot offer a choir or concert or large worship team each week, but we have brought worship to you intimately, with smaller ensembles, rich harmonies, and songs and hymns that connect with the message, which has enabled us to continue to worship each week together, as one church.
I know that we are waiting…..waiting for a vaccine, or waiting for the numbers to go down, or simply waiting to feel safer to come back to church to worship. Due to us exploring unique ways to worship, I’m excited that we have plans to stay connected and continue to enhance our online worship experience while worshiping in-person as well. The worship ministry is planning to start a worship newsletter that will go out with devotions, song stories and updates, and articles that will highlight members of the worship ministry. We are in the plans of enhancing our online worship from a tech standpoint with equipment that will allow us to bring quality worship experience to those who are worshiping at home. We are also looking to grow our teams in all areas - including tech, worship team, small ensemble (possibly a cappella), and choir. These are open to all people of all ages and we will help train those interested in tech ministry. In fact, we are in need of volunteers who are looking to come back to church and who may be interested in joining our tech ministry team - which could be a task as easy as pushing a button during service!
Maybe in these moments of waiting, you are hearing God call to you? Maybe in these moments of waiting, you are realizing that when you do come back, God has plans for you? I pray that while reflecting this week, friends, you take a moment to breathe in, pause, wait patiently, and allow God to be present, and to embrace the work God is continuously doing in your life.
I’m including a song with this week’s devotion that has been on my heart not just this week, but throughout this past year: “Take Courage” by Bethel Music and Kristene DiMarco. While you worship personally this week, may this song’s melody and lyrics draw you closer to your personal relationship with God. And in this waiting, know that He is there with you meeting you exactly where you need to be met.
No Comments