St. Mark Family,
I got up this morning, and saw some news, and then watched some more news, and honestly, I wasn’t feeling really good about anything. In addition to the continued spread of the COVID-19, we received word from Bishop Taylor that churches in Holston are to remain closed “until further notice.”
Right now, we don’t know how long this is going to last. Nor do we know how this may effect ministry, or society in the long term.
Then, I decided to turn off all that noise, and went to the Scriptures. I started thinking about a man in Acts named Barnabas. His name, according to Acts 4:36, literally means “son of encouragement.” I started thinking about how much we need to hear encouraging words. Honestly, that’s one of the things I and I’m sure many of you are missing by us not being able to meet together in person. We don’t get to hear encouraging words from one another, like we would in our Sunday Schools or greeting one another in the halls.
In Acts 14, Barnabas and Paul are in Iconium, they had preached the gospel in the synagogue there, some believed, but others tried to poison the minds of those who came to believe. In verse 3, it says, “So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace by granting signs and wonders to be done through them.”
Even though the outside forces wanted to poison the minds of the believers, Paul and Barnabas remained, and continued to encourage the faith.
I believe this is a time for us to take on the call to be encouragers. So, St. Mark I’m calling on you to help with this encouragement. I want you to take some time, and write down an encouraging word, then send it to my email (sam3ward@gmail.com). I hope that my inbox gets flooded with encouraging words. I will then compile these, and send them out to the church family a few at a time that we might all be encouraged by these words that you share.
Your words are your own, your message doesn’t have to be eloquent, or long, just send a word of encouragement you’d like for your church family to hear. In this way, we will help to stay connected, be encouraged, and grow in our faith in the One who does not leave us on our own, but is here by our side even now.
I leave you with this: Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing. – 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Sam