Three weeks ago I, along with almost every preacher in America was thrust in front of a camera when the coronavirus COVID-19 forced state after state to require its citizens to quarantine themselves in their homes and banned any public assemblies of ten or more. There went religious worship as we then knew it. For the last three weeks I’ve led worship to a sanctuary composed of an organist, a preacher, myself as worship leader, some camera persons and our media tech. We try to stay six feet apart at all times and keep our numbers below nine of us in the sanctuary at all times.

It just suddenly dawned on me: I’m a televangelist. We preach, sing, and invite people to give via television or computer monitor. I lead the hymn singing and pray in front of several cameras to a completely empty sanctuary. The audience–congregation sounds so much better–sits at home watching on their Smart phones, tablets, laptops and Smart TV’s and hopefully is participating in worship, as best they can.

For our mid-week Lenten Wednesday services there is no longer a meal served at the church at 5:45 with worship following in the chapel at 6:30. Now I sit at home and record a video of myself presenting my PowerPoint message with that video image in the corner. Then I simply email presentation to our social media staff person Ryan to post on our Website and church Facebook page.

I do miss the immediate follow-up words of appreciation in the narthex (gathering space adjacent to the worship space) from you when you’re in worship. Thank you to those of you who text or email those words of appreciation later. But more importantly what I miss is the opportunity to shake hands, visit and catch-up with one another. As I reflect on that the Safe at Home program is forcing the church to be more intentional in how we connect individually, one-on-one. Yes, there are social media–even the good old telephone. But it still is not the same as face to face. Personal visitation is a no-no. I don’t want to transmit the virus from place to place and person to person should I be a carrier and not know it. Nor, do I want to unknowingly pick up that virus in a visit with a parishioner, whether in the hospital, a nursing facility or at home.

So, I write this blog, send emails, make phone calls, write notes and mail an occasional letter along with volunteers in the congregation doing the same. And I pray. I pray this quarantine will soon be over. I pray for my parishioners and former parishioners in churches I’ve served. I pray for my family and friends. And in my prayers I ask God to watch over you, protect you and give you peace–peace as only he can give it. I pray all of us have trust in his eternal presence alongside us. And that is a promise we can take to the bank. We can literally deposit it in our hearts.

Do you have Christ in your heart? Have you put your trust completely in him? We read in the Book of Acts 4:12 that “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” In the spring of 1991 amidst some job frustrations and in the depth of a long Bible Study I heard Christ’s call to full-time ministry–to give my life fully to him. I’ve never been sorry. I’ve also learned it is a continual thing, putting your trust in God, it must be renewed daily, moment by moment.

So while our world–literally, the WORLD–is upset with the coronavirus, God’s still in control. He’s got us and got this situation firmly in hand. Will we return to normal soon? I don’t think so. I think there will be a new normal, whatever that will be. It is my prayer that the world’s new normal has much more of Christ in it than our old normal ever did. But knowing our Lord, he will faithfully lead us and I firmly accept this promise from Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

God has always desired our companionship and fellowship–it was his design from day one of his creation. God’s design also mandated that we have the free-choice to accept his love and direction. We are assured in the Book of Revelation that in John’s vision he saw a new heaven and a new earth coming down out of heaven “from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” (Revelation 21:2) And John heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (21:4)

Yes, our lives have all changed and though we are a people who resist change we’ve also learned that change is a constant in our lives and the best alternative, I believe, is to embrace it and move on. So, televangelist or not its how we have to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ today. And as I think about it maybe its a good thing to our getting that message beyond the four walls of a building. And shouldn’t the church–Christ’s church not be a building but God’s people being as Christ about in the world? The church is the body of Christ dispersed. Perhaps now it may be easier to invite our “none churched” friends who wouldn’t dare darken the door of our churches to push a button or two on a computer and watch our message–Christ’s message–away from prying eyes in the safety of their homes. Are not all things possible with God? Let’s embrace our technology and be a part of the movement to invite one and all to come and see–taste and see that the Lord is good and learn what Christ might do for them.

So here is my televangelist plea: not for funds but to help spread the word of our on-line ministry. Help us get the word out about Asbury’s on-line worship. http://www.asburymadison.com. But my plea goes further than just Asbury. Just about every church is on-line in various ways. Invite friends to search the Internet and find an Internet church “home” or two that they are comfortable with and then make it a point to check in regularly.

Together, with God’s help and direction, we can transform lives all over the world. Thank you.

Many days ago when this coronavirus pandemic began in earnest here in America, about the time we in Wisconsin had a limit of not more than ten gathered in any one place placed on us, the Wisconsin Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church began producing a daily reflection. (Find them under “Prayers and Reflections” on https://www.wisconsinumc.org/) They appear to be prepared daily by the Bishop, a Cabinet member or a Conference Employee. This morning’s post was by District Superintendent Forrest Wells of the Southeast District. Forrest wrote on Psalm 121–From Whence Does My Help Come.

It was a timely reminder to me of the first sermon I prepared in seminary. The professor asked us to prepare a message on a favorite Psalm. I suspected Psalm 23 might be a favorite of many and wanting to avoid that I chose Psalm 121 and promptly spent a good deal of time in the seminary library researching this Psalm. I was swiftly amazed at the many resources and commentaries available on this Psalm. I don’t remember my grade but do remember a comment my professor shared that I had chosen one of the more difficult Psalms since it provided opportunity for a variety of interpretations. Leave it to me to pick a challenging Psalm for a first sermon.

But isn’t our present quarantine with threat and fear from the coronavirus a perfect time to reflect on our source of help? Psalm 121 begins:

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

One understanding of this Psalm is that it is written from the perspective of pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem to observe one of the Jewish festivals. They travel on foot along pathways that often were mountainous and treacherous and so they had fear as to what lay ahead–not only fear of a foot slipping on the path plunging them to a disastrous fall or to thieves and robbers lying in wait to ambush them along the way. As they began their pilgrimage they firmly aligned their thoughts and prayers with God for guidance and safety.

As we too travel unknown paths through this threat to our physical well being as well as our economic status we too would do well to keep our eyes and minds lifted heaven-word from whence comes our ultimate care and salvation, no matter what. And further, we are not only traveling through this time of quarantine but through life to our ultimate destination. While we look forward to a return to “normal times” at the end of this quarantine surely it will be a new normal as we go forward.

My prayer is not only for God’s compassionate provision through these troubled days but that our nation–and indeed, our world–will “come to Jesus” and those who already claim to be followers of Christ will have had a time of revival and we will all be in a much better place–one in Jesus Christ as Lord. May this not just be an old man dreaming dreams. (Acts 2:17)

Please take a moment to read for yourself Psalm 121. Its only eight verses.

In Mark 4:36-41 Jesus instructs his disciples to climb into a boat with him to travel “to the other side” of the lake.  While they do so a great windstorm blows up so that the disciples become extremely frightened while Jesus calmly sleeps on a cushion in the back of the boat.  As the boat is taking on water the disciples wake Jesus and ask him: “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”  Jesus proceeds to rebuke the wind and the rain so there is suddenly a dead calm upon the waters.  He turns to his stunned disciples who are wondering, “who is He that even the wind and the rain obey him?” Jesus asks them,  “Why are you afraid?  Have you still no faith?”

Today across the land we are hungered down in fear of the coronavirus. We are well-advised to avoid crowds and unnecessary travel to not only protect ourselves from the virus, but, more importantly to avoid our becoming carriers and unknowingly spread this contagion to others, particularly those whose health is compromised making them more vulnerable to Covid-19.

But, is it rational for the Christian to be in panic, in absolute fear of this disease?

Jesus asks, “Why are we afraid? Have we no faith?” Jesus calmed the storm on the sea and he can calm this storm in our lives today. He is the ultimate peace in the storm and that same peace is available to us when we take our eyes from the chaos and storms surrounding us and focus them instead on our Lord Christ.

Just as we’ve observed how fear and panic are just as contagious—if not even more contagious than the coronavirus itself and can lead us to irrational behaviors such as hoarding toilet paper, so, I submit can the peace and calm assurance of the Christian in the midst of the storms of life spread that same peace and calm through faith in Christ across the land.

May it be our lot, brothers and sisters in Christ, to be agents of peace and calm In this and whatever storms may follow as we rest safe and secure in the abiding presence of Jesus. Our eternal home is with Christ, today is but a temporary residence as we prepare for our journey home.

Peace be yours, in the name of Christ. Amen.

In Mark 4:36-41 Jesus instructs his disciples to climb into a boat with him to travel “to the other side” of the lake.  While they do so a great windstorm blows up so that the disciples become extremely frightened while Jesus calmly sleeps on a cushion in the back of the boat.  As the boat is taking on water the disciples wake Jesus asking him if he doesn’t care that they are perishing.  Jesus proceeds to rebuke the wind and the rain so there is a dead calm upon the waters.  He then turns to his stunned disciples-“who is He that even the wind and the rain obey him?”-and asks, “Why are you afraid?  Have you still no faith?”

A good question.  So why are we still afraid?  Have we no faith?  Many decades ago I threw in my lot with Jesus giving my life to him.  That meant my future, all my days, whatever they might be were now devoted to serving him to his glory.  I fully trusted his promise and commitment to never leave me, never abandon me—to always be with me even to the end of the age.  (Matthew 28:20)  So basically I have thrown in with Jesus, we’re in the boat of life together.  In a real sense we are in the boat of eternity together.  So what do I have to fear?  ALL my days, my moments—my eternal future—is secure with Jesus right alongside me.  I find this frees me.  It liberates me from anything in this present age that would attempt to thwart me from being all that Christ is calling me to be in him.  Nothing should intimidate me or even slow me down in giving all of me to the work I am called to do in his Kingdom.  Jesus and me—and you—we’re in the boat together.  So what do we have to fear?