Daily Encourager – March 28, 2020

And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight 10 to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11 having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. – Philippians 1:9-11

As we sit on the eve of another Sunday apart, I find myself praying for each of you all the more. Knowing that tomorrow morning the sanctuary of St. Mark will again be empty causes great sorrow, yet, I know that the God who in Christ took on all sorrow, all sin, and all the malice of humankind, that we might know the love of God, gives me hope.

Even though the sanctuary, the building we use for worship, will be empty; I know many of you will join together in worship. We will worship together online, we will be in prayer for one another, and we will praise the Lord our God.

Today’s encouragement comes from a member of our choir who misses seeing each one of you from her usual Sunday perspective.

Philippians 1:3 NLT. Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.

And I think of you often. I miss Sundays in our sanctuary, I miss Bible Studies in our Fellowship Hall, I miss choir practice, I miss chatting in the hallways.

But, I think of you daily. And I “see you in my mind” as my youngest son used to say. I can see you from my seat in the choir loft, and I pray you are well and safe. So, don’t mess with me when we get back together and change your pew! I love you all and am thankful for you and what you do to make our church a loving and joyful and safe place to be, whether we are in the same building or in our homes. This too shall pass and we will maybe come out on the other side more aware of how important it is to be together. – Donna Maloy

May we think fondly of one another, and though we lament this time apart, may it make coming back together one day all the sweeter, all the more rejoiceful, for we know that even now, God is with us, binding us together in love.

Grace & Peace,
Sam