It is hard to believe that we are already halfway through the summer. Summer is always a hard time for churches—people are out of town much of the time, and when they are in town, it oftentimes feels easier to skip church than to go. When we are out of our ordinary routines of school and work, mustering the energy to be consistent with church is difficult. This is especially pronounced right now, because churches are either meeting inside with uncomfortable masks and other safety precautions, meeting outside in the heat and humidity, or meeting online in an impersonal and disconnected way. It is hard to go to church during the summer, especially when the ways we are going to church leave a lot to be desired.
It is also hard to believe that we are almost 5 months into the time of coronavirus. All rhythms of life have been radically affected during this season, and many Americans are dealing with acedia (the feeling of listlessness in the depths of the soul), discouragement, and even depression. A friend of mine who is a psychiatrist mentioned last week that he has been overwhelmed with people asking for help because they simply feel lost, discouraged, and sad right now. Most Americans have plenty to eat and a good roof over their heads, yet something seems missing. We are waiting to reemerge into normalcy, but wonder whether it will ever come again.
I mention these things simply to state out loud what many of you have already recognized: If it seems harder than normal to care about things that matter—your prayer life, good rhythms as a family, coming to church, healthy physical habits, your work, etc.—you aren’t alone. The circumstances don’t seem to be in our favor right now. It is easy, when life is full of malaise, to slip into patterns of life that aren’t healthy.
So what should the Christian do? It may seem obvious, but the more off-kilter our circumstances are, the more we should press into the habits that bring health to the soul. In times of anxiety, sadness, and acedia, the Christian response should be clinging to God in concrete habits. In other words, healthy habits—coming to church, singing praises loudly to God with our hands raised, confessing our sins on our knees, reading the Bible, praying as a family, resting appropriately, eating and drinking with both joy and temperance, exercising, reading novels that strengthen the soul, having real conversations with friends, listening to good music—matter more now than they do in times when everything is going well. This takes perseverance, which is difficult, but as Romans 5 reminds us, perseverance results in hope, something that most of us need in this moment.
I say this to encourage you! If you feel weighed down, you aren’t alone! But don’t let the experience of the present keep you from the heart of God. Use the experience of this moment to drive you deep into the heart of God!
Steven+
Prayer Walk Instructions
This Saturday, July 11, we will be holding our first prayer walk in the neighborhoods around Cambridge. We will be holding another prayer walk on August 8. We are sending out a postcard to the 5000 residences within a mile of Cambridge, and our desire is to pray for the people in the community as we let them know that we exist and want to serve them.
If you have questions about prayer walks, watch the video below! If you still have questions after watching the video, let me know! We recognize that this may be new territory for you (and therefore a little strange), but rest assured that it is simpler than you think.
Please RSVP on the link provided as soon as possible. We will be putting people into small groups based on the time that you register for, and sending each group in a different direction with a street map to show you where to go. It is fine if we have hours that have no one registered and hours with lots of people registered—our goal is to blanket the area with prayer, not the day.
In Christ,
Steven+
Steps Forward - Prayer Walks
As we seek to come out of the season of coronavirus as a worshiping, missional body, we will be taking concrete steps forward in the development and activities of the church. Each week in the newsletter, a section will be devoted to the steps that we are taking. If anything is mentioned that piques your interest, please let me, Justin, Katherine, or Erich know. Last week, we took the concrete step forward of restarting a basic children’s program. In the next couple weeks, we will be going on a prayer walk and sending out a postcard…
On Sunday, I announced to the congregation that we would be holding a prayer walk on July 11 and August 8 in the neighborhoods surrounding Cambridge. Because of coronavirus, we put on hold “Coffee in the Park,” and it may be quite a while before it is safe and appropriate to do something that involves close physical interaction. Even though we are limited in the ways we can bless our community, it is still the right time to begin to reach out tangibly.
By coupling a postcard with a prayer walk, we can let people know that we exist and also take a simple, yet very important, step forward in reaching them with the love of Jesus. The postcard will be mailed to the 5000 homes in a 1-mile radius around Cambridge, which is basically the area we will be walking through and praying over.
This is a time in our country when it is incredibly important to pray for people in our community and let them know that the church exists as a place of healing for them. That the world is broken is clear even to those who reject God—sickness, death, fear, murder, racism, rioting, unemployment, and political rancor are all front and center every time we turn on the news. And this doesn’t even include a host of other destructive sins unmentioned by the news, yet prevalent in our communities!
The church engages the pain and brokenness of the world best when it is a praying community. Throughout history, the church has been strongest when it acted as a hospital for broken sinners, not a museum of saints. As you all have heard me say, the church doesn’t exist for us! We come together to give our lives away in worship and give our lives away for the salvation of the world. When we give ourselves away, we paradoxically find that we receive true life in return, but as soon as we settle into thinking that what we do is for our own benefit, we leave the path of Christ.
Our prayer walks will be from 8am to 3pm. We are asking people to sign up for 1-hour time slots using the link that at the top of the letter. You will be grouped with others who have signed up for the same hour and sent out from Cambridge’s parking lot with a map. If you have never done this before, or it makes you nervous, have no fear! Next week’s newsletter will be devoted to how to do a prayer walk. It is simpler (and less awkward) than you might imagine.
In Christ,
Steven+