Coronavirus Announcement
As most of you are aware, the viral disease COVID-19 has been spreading quickly, and we are tasked to do our part to help slow down its spread. The reason this is so serious is because of how quickly it can spread, and because the virus is particularly dangerous for those over 70 or with weakened immune systems and previous health conditions. We are taking specific steps to love and care for our neighbors in Waco with a compassionate, Christian love.
It is with immense sadness that we want you to know that your pastors have come to the decision to cancel our gathered worship services indefinitely. Our national and local authorities have recommended suspending all meetings of ten people or more.
First, we want to be careful to follow the Scriptural command to submit to the ruling authorities that God has placed over us (Rom 13:1-2). There may be times when our submission to our governing bodies could be in tension with our obedience to the law of Christ. This is not one of those times. We do not think this recommendation to be unjust, immoral, or incapable of being carried out with a clear Christian conscience. The command we find in Hebrews 10:25 to “not neglect to gather together” is a serious one. By obeying the authorities over us, we are not neglecting the gathering but rather temporarily doing what we believe necessary in an isolated circumstance.
Secondly, we want to take every opportunity to exhibit Christian love for neighbor. The spread of the coronavirus is a serious threat to many in our community, and so the most loving thing we can do for the health and safety of our neighbors is to suspend our gatherings for a time. For many people, contracting the virus could be lethal, and we must do our part to take every precaution. In our love for one another, we obey the command of Jesus (1 Jn 4:21-22).
Although we cannot gather together as one body, which is God’s good design for his church, we want to make every effort to continue to equip you and to make Jesus known to you. We believe this happens best in the context of community. For this reason we are open to temporary and creative ways of worshiping together in which we can follow the recommendation of the civil authorities and maintain our devotion to one another.
Our main form of worship in community will be through our weekly livestream, Sundays at 10am.
Every week you can tune into a livestream where we will worship through song, pray, and receive Biblical teaching and preaching from our pastors. This is no substitute for the in person gathering of the entire body, and we lament no being able to worship corporately. Still, we believe that this format will best assist you in this time to know and follow Jesus, and we thank God that such technology is available.
We know that this time might be hard for many emotionally, physically, spiritually and financially. Let your pastors know if you are sick, unable to attend service and/or group, need counseling or encouragement, or are experiencing financial strain due to staying home from work, etc. We want to rally around those in need to provide food, grocery runs, child care, and anything else necessary. Please email a pastor or connect@gracewaco if you have any need.
In 2 Samuel 24 there is a curious story. David disobeys the Lord, and God gives him a choice of discipline: he can either choose to be pursued by his enemies, or he can choose to bring a great disease on Israel. David chooses the disease. Why? “Then David said to Gad, ‘I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.’” David knew that while there was no guarantee of mercy from his enemies, there would always be mercy from God, for he is a God of mercy.
We are not saying that the Coronavirus outbreak is an act of judgement from God. What we are saying is that we should approach it like David. This virus is not outside of the hands of God: he is firmly in control. This means that just as he is sovereign, he is also good. If he is in control, we can trust in his mercy. Far better to be hidden in the merciful hands of the Almighty than in the cruel hands of natural selection. And that is where we sit. God knows what he is doing and cannot deny himself (2 Timothy 2:13), remember that and trust him. As we relate to one another, what we cannot do is fear a virus or fear one another more than we fear God. In the coming weeks we have an opportunity to come together in love and unity. All those who are healthy and able will be asked to step up and risk their own personal comfort to care for the needs of others. We will need errand runners and babysitters and prayer warriors and extra hands to clean. This is how the body of Christ works, and I have no doubt we will honor God in our love for one another.
Finally, let this window into the fragility of the natural world serve as an opportunity for us to look past the dim mirror of this life and long for the eternal day when we see face to face and Christ’s body will dwell with him without any sickness or disease or blemish or sin.
In Christ and for you,
The Pastors of Grace Church