Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the LORD blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
-- Isaiah 40:6-8
I hope and pray that you are well in body and soul; all of us are adjusting to a "new normal" as our nation and community joins the rest of the world in efforts against the coronavirus pandemic.
When we announced the suspension of all church activities at Messiah through April 5, we promised to provide you with resources for our common worship and devotional life, even though we are physically absent from one another. Today's message is to inform you about the steps we're taking to that end.
There's a new page on our website in the "Ministries" section named "Worship Resources"; you can check it out here. Starting on or about Sunday, March 22, we will post audio recordings of worship services — instrumental music, hymns, responsive readings, the appointed Scriptures and a sermon by Pastor Blain. You'll be able to listen to the service by clicking on a "play" button, and follow along with a service folder by clicking on a link to a separate browser window. We currently plan to post services for:
Sunday, March 22
Wednesday, March 25
Sunday, March 29
Wednesday, April 1
Sunday, April 5
But please don't wait -- you can try this new page out now! We've uploaded The Litany (the great responsive prayer of the Church, often used in Lent), sung by the Kantorei of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, as well as two matching service folders ("words only" or "words and music"). I encourage you to take ten minutes and pray The Litany yourself today. And tomorrow. And every day that our current situation continues. (Thanks go to Pastor Hoese for this idea.)
"Worship Resources" also has links to streamed services from reliable ministries, plus connections to more printed and audio materials. I especially recommend the fine devotional booklet "40 Daily Devotions of God's Comfort," produced by LCMS Disaster Relief.
Also, those of you who follow Messiah's Facebook page know that we continue to post brief devotions (a Psalm verse, appointed readings with links to the online English Standard Version and a prayer) every morning Monday through Saturday. I encourage you to join me in praying them!
Like all of you, I yearn for the day when we can gather again at Messiah to be strengthened in faith by the hearing of God's Word and the body and blood of Jesus given in His Supper. I yearn for the day when we can raise our voices together in prayer and praise, thanking our heavenly Father for His unending mercy to us. To quote a friend, Satan has put Christian churches around the world in a fearsome bind, "torn between the importance, necessity, urgency, and value of the Gospel and the care and concern that we owe to our neighbors in the frailty of this body and life."
But until the day that God delivers us from this dilemma -- and He will, in whatever way He sees best -- His enduring Word stands forever, binding us together in our common fellowship. May we walk by faith, not by sight, together through this challenging time, and sing together with the Church:
When life’s troubles rise to meet me,
though their weight may be great,
they will not defeat me.
God, my loving Savior, sends them;
He who knows all my woes
knows how best to end them.
God gives me my days of gladness,
and I will trust Him still
when He sends me sadness.
God is good; His love attends me
day by day, come what may,
guides me and defends me.
("Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me," Lutheran Service Book 756, stanzas 2-3).
Yours in Christ,
Rick Krueger
