Sue Guck

More… Peace, John 16:32-33

Sue Guck · March 26, 2020 · 7 Comments

You and I, all of us, are all living in between.
Living in between darkness and light…
Living in between despair and hope…
Living in between pain and peace…

We are not robots, we are human and we are fragile, we have fears…
And that we are physical beings, with cells that naturally decline or get disease and we feel pain.

One of my favorite poems captures this reality:
It starts with this line…
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And it’s true that part of us rages against the pain of the world.
It is a raw, emotional response to being persecuted.
But you can’t rage forever…
And Jesus doesn’t call us into raging… even in the face of persecution…
Jesus calls us out of pain into peace.

But… how?
First – be still…
Actually find a quiet place, a trusted place and be still…
And in that stillness call upon God…
Be still and know that God is with you, you have not been abandoned…
Be still and know that you have the strength of God in you…
And in that stillness, in the calm, recognize that darkness exists, do not deny darkness
In scripture Jesus calls the darkness, trouble, persecution…
Darkness exists and is relentless in its persecution of you…
But once you have intentionally, purposefully recognized darkness… call it out… name it…
And in naming that darkness, however you can, whatever it is, you are no longer simply a victim… filled with pain…
In simply naming the darkness, you have already stepped in the other direction…
In simply acknowledging the darkness you step in the belief of light…
And then the call for us to live in the light…
Each and every day, living in the light, doing what good we can… it’s that hard, but yet that simple.

Light has come, light is coming, light is here, the light of vibrant life…
Be still… and know that God is leading you into more peace.

Resurrection’s Response to COVID-19

Sue Guck · March 14, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Dear Resurrection Family,

After much thought, prayer and consultation, we are going to suspend all group activities on our campus until – well we don’t know at this time. We will follow best practices as this all evolves. This includes worship, and all adult, youth and children’s programming. We’ll have to find another time in the year to eat those wonderful Lenten meals!

I am not a fan of cancelling worship and programming, so over the past several weeks the staff has been working through every scenario on how to limit contact between our folks while still being church as usual. These scenarios have included limiting hand contact in worship, encouraging those who feel ill to stay comfortable at home, suspending communion, placing hand sanitizer in strategic places, cleaning door handles every day, not passing the offering baskets, not having refreshments between worship, removing the nametag stations so folks don’t bottle up around those tables… and the list goes on. But all of those will still not give us the 6 foot perimeter that health officials are advising. So, in the name of caring for our community, being good partners and neighbors, we’ve joined lots of other faith communities by suspending worship and programming. However, while church as usual will be suspended for a time, we are still church together.

Here is how:

Worship – we will live stream our worship and message on a YouTube channel. Russ will join me and lead us in song and worship, and we will continue our Lenten journey through the book of Jonah. The live stream will air at 10am Sunday mornings for these next few weeks. You will also be able to watch the recorded version if that 10am time doesn’t work for you. Watch for more information and details.
Youth and Children’s programming – We will provide either a live or recorded larger group time for our Confirmation youth, and our children’s team has some fun stuff in the works as well. Small group leaders will be in touch with their youth.
Spiritual Care – This time has been and continues to create anxiety for many of us. If you need a word of encouragement or if you find yourself stuck in your home, please reach out to the church office via email, or call 651-730-1000 before stopping in, to assure the office is staffed as our hours may fluctuate during this time. We have many people who have offered their time to help anyone in need, run errands, or just be that presence for you. Do not hesitate to reach out. God is good!
Offering and Gifts – While we will be doing church a bit differently over these next weeks, we do need to stay on track with our financial needs and commitments. Thank you for your continued generosity! In this time, please explore giving options. And as always, you can mail your offering to the church office.

The words from Isaiah spoken thousands of years ago still ring true for us today… “8 But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; 9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; 10 do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” (Isa 41:8-10 NRS)

We are Resurrection people!

Blessings,
Pastor Paul