On Wisdom and Risks... and Precautions for this Sunday
In my sermon this past Sunday, I said the following about taking risks, but doing it in wisdom. We see Esther willing to give up her life, but we can easily draw wrong conclusions from her example.
Sacrifice yourself and live. Trust His plan and die. Before I close with a few illustrations of this, here are a couple of warnings. First, don’t presume upon His sovereign care, as if God could be manipulated. What do I mean? One of my mentors - that many of you have met - is a man named Tom Schreiner. I love the guy so much. He’s such a humble, loving guy. But he’s an amazing scholar. I remember when we were talking about coming to plant this church.
He looked at me and said, “Well, it may work out. Or it may not. Only God knows.” And that was when a lot of people in the church planting world talked like this: if God calls you, you’ll succeed. And they were speaking this into a world where 80% of church starts failed.
What did Tom’s words communicate? Confidence in God’s plan. Recognition that ours may not be His. But that, at the end of the day, His would be best. In other words, “If I perish, I perish.” We’re in His hands. It’s His will. Remember that, as you take risks for Him.
Second, don’t take foolhardy risks, as if God’s obligated to rescue you. Esther counts the cost. She thinks it through. She knows the possibilities. She prays. And she acts. Don’t bust into nursing the plague and think you don’t have to wear isolation gear. Don’t neglect to wash your hands and think God’ll miraculously protect you. Don’t decide you’re going to go serve Him in India and jump on a plane tomorrow. Without raising any support. That’s usually not the way the Lord works. He uses means. Like you and I not being stupid. He is in control, yes. But He works in us wisdom.
Lord willing, we will come together for worship this Sunday in Karis Church and install two new elders. There may be a time where it will be wise, heeding the advice of civic and health officials, to suspend our gatherings for a short-period. However, for this week, I sent this out to our email list last night:
Here are a couple of adjustments and a few reminders as we gather on Sundays. It’s critical we take these measures to protect the vulnerable in our family and in our city.
We love the way we do the Supper in Karis - with the common loaf and cup. Given the spread of COVID-19, we’ll transition in the short-term to a prepackaged wafer and juice for communion. We’ll have those available to pick up as you come in each week. However, we were unable to obtain those before Sunday. Therefore, we will not partake of the Supper together this Sunday. Remember: we’re happy Protestants. Although we believe we can and do experience the goodness and grace of God spiritually as we eat and drink together, we don’t believe the ordinance brings salvation in any sense. We can miss a week. We’ll still gather and celebrate the gospel. It’ll be ok.
We need to remember this every week, but be especially careful not to come to the Sunday gathering with any symptoms of sickness. Don’t come with a cough, any aches or chills, and certainly not with a fever (over 100 in the last 24 hours). Don’t come if you or anyone you live with has been diagnosed with the flu in the last five days. If you are at all questioning whether or not to come to the Gathering based on your own or a family member’s symptoms, please stay home. All of this comes from our soon-to-be-pastor Dr. Seth Freeman.
Practice thorough, regular hand-washing. This is essential for all Sunday volunteers (connecting/coffee/kids, etc.), but really for everyone.
Keep physical contact at a minimum. During our “passing of the peace,” avoid typical hugs and handshakes.
Also, you may not know this, but we have professionals clean weekly prior to the Gathering, and every Karis Kids classroom is thoroughly sanitized after the end of every class. In addition, we have hand sanitizer and antibacterial soap available throughout our building.
We hope you’ll join us this Sunday in Karis - as we continue through Esther and install Jeff Carson and Seth Freeman as elders. However, if you feel at all uncomfortable with coming, we completely understand.