Today’s Word from Pastor Jim
On the 15th day of March 2025 there is considerable anxiety in our community. Our country and our world seem unstable, unhinged, and the nightly news offers little comfort.
Five years ago on this date, we were entering into a season of isolation, uncertainty and death. Each day we were faced with a changing landscape, images of overcrowded hospitals and a new set of pandemic medical directives.
Do you remember waiting in line at Payless, outside in the cold, the essential workers inside, keeping their distance from each other and from their customers? The CDC had determined a reasonable pandemic capacity for the grocery store. Was the number correct? Were we safe? We really did not know. But there we were, masked islanders exposed to the elements, silently waiting to enter the store, hoping that there would still be some toilet paper.
This morning, I decided to run the daily word that was published on this date five years ago. Perhaps it will offer us perspective and hope as we once again face the uncertain days ahead. Reflecting on our 35 years together, it is striking what we have been through, the storms we have weathered, social unrest, war, terrorism, cultural change and financial downturn. Every season brings challenges, both personal challenges and societal challenges.
But the seasons always change, summer always gives way to fall, and in time the worries of today will slip silently into the pages of history. Think of where we were five years ago today. My friends, we will get through this time together. As we did five years ago, we will support, love and care for each other. Together we will weather the storms that greet us, knowing that God is with us.
One beggar telling another beggar where to find toilet paper, I am your,
Pastor Jim
PS: If you would like to respond directly to Pastor Jim, please email [email protected].
Perspective from the pages of history:
March 15, 2020
Sunday Morning at TLC
Love Looks Like an Empty Church
There is not a single person here on this Sunday morning. I did not even make coffee. The church is totally quiet. Of course, it is not just churches that are empty. We ordered out from a local restaurant last night. When I picked up our dinner, the restaurant was eerily quiet. Empty restaurants on a Saturday night. Theaters, sports venues, schools all sit empty. Our lives have changed so dramatically in the past month.
How will we make it through this? What will we learn from this ordeal? “Love is patient, love is kind, love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful. Love never ends. Now faith, hope and love abide these three and the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13
Together, we will make it through this crisis. God is love, and we must let love be our guide as we make our way through the Corona darkness. But what will love look like in our community?
Scripture reminds us that our goal should be to work for the Common Good. The Common Good of our neighbor and our community. If we tend to the Common Good, then all can experience abundant life. Conversely, if we care only for ourselves, if we horde, if we let fear keep us from loving, then we will suffer with a community that suffers.
The Common Good is the goal. What will love look like as we seek the Common Good?
We must act with caution. The question is not, “Is it safe for me to be around others?” The question is, “Is it safe for the community to have people who may or may not be contagious moving around as if there were no virus?”
What does love look like at this time? Love looks like an EMPTY CHURCH. Love is putting aside our own needs and sacrificing for others. Love looks like an empty church. That is why we closed our campus. The loving response to this crisis is to proceed with caution out of respect for our vulnerable neighbors.
It is time to be reminded that this journey of faith and life is not all about me. Following Jesus is not about the car that I drive, the newest technology that I can afford, or the balance in my bank account. It is time to be reminded that we are called first and foremost to contribute to the Common Good. This virus affords us the opportunity to be less self-centered and more community-centered.
God is love. Love will lead us through. Love is patient. Love is kind. What does love look like? On this Sunday morning: Love looks like an empty church.
My love to you!
Pastor Jim
