Dear friends, 

The Tuesday after Easter – the joy of that day turns back to the mundaneness of this day. We are back to working from home or worrying about being at work. We are worrying about finding a job or worrying about how to keep people employed. We are dealing with the frustration of homeschooling our children or being alone in our place of residence. We can’t wait for this thing to be over but can’t seem to see any end in sight. It really is a marathon and not a sprint. An epic movie and not a sit-com. This is hard work!

Paul told the Galatians, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time, we will reap if we do not grow weary.” (Galatians 6:7-9).  We celebrate Easter once a year to remind each other why we need not “lose heart” the rest of the year. We learn to trust that our Father is both our provider and our protector. We learn to trust Him in the everyday affairs of our lives – living our lives before Him and in pursuit of the things that please Him to His glory, our own good, and the benefit of others.

Part of this process is praying – communicating with God about the day-to-day realities of our lives. Jesus taught us the Lord’s Prayer that encourages us to begin our prayer by meditating on our relationship this good and loving God revealed in Jesus. We then pray the ability to love what He loves as we seek His kingdom in our lives and in the world. Then we lay before God our needs for today, our failures of the past, and our concerns about the future. Prayer is an intimate interaction with God. Philip Yancey writes:  “Prayer does not work according to a fixed formula: Get your life in order, say the right words, and the desired result will come. If that were true, Job would have avoided much suffering,

Paul would have shed his thorn in the flesh, and Jesus would never have gone to Golgotha. Between the two questions “Does God answer prayer?” and “Will God grant my specific prayer for this sick child or this particular injustice?” lies a great pool of mystery (From PRAYER: Does It Make Any Difference?).   

For some reason, God likes to come to us in the mystery. But He always comes in goodness and love. So do not lose heart – keep doing the hard but good work of prayer!

         * A few new options this week –(email blast and Realm for details)

                   - Community prayer 12:30-1:30 – zoom call

                   - Wednesday evening Bible study – 6:30-7:30pm

                  -  Sunday morning post-worship discussion – 11:00-12:00

         * We continue to livestream one service at 9:30 am – https://wpcspartanburg.org/live. Past services are also available at that site.

In your prayers include:

• our political and medical leaders regarding decisions about our next steps
• our health care providers and other workers who are serving others at this time
• our business leaders, small business people, and others faced with difficult circumstances
• our fellow citizens in different states of distress from all associated with the pandemic
• our church as we seek to minister to one another and the larger community
• our session as we make decisions regarding the gathering and future of Westminster. 
• (please feel free to add)

Your friend

Steve Wise