Have you started back to church yet? We start Sunday and I have mixed emotions. I want to see people, yet there is great risk for some. Nobody has a handle on this virus, and although the young seem to have less risk, there have been surprises. 

No, we can’t stay afraid or away forever. And First John 4:18 says: There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear. Before I get accused of taking this verse out of context, let me explain what I’m thinking. 

We have been rocked to the core by something we never expected could happen to us. But now that it has, we’ve asked questions more often, “Where is God in all of this?” He’s been walking with us the entire time because he uses times like this to mature our trust in him. The truth is, it has revealed how little control we have of our future. In a single moment life can change drastically, and we need someone to assure us things will be alright. God uses times like this to assure us that we do not have to fear what happens next, because our eternal destiny is secure in what his son did for us. 

The Bible is quite clear, that our hope is in Jesus Christ, who redeemed us by his sacrifice on the cross. Whether we believe and accept that is up to each of us. For those who have – it gives great confidence and freedom to keep moving forward because we know we are secure in God’s love no matter what life brings next. 

It also gives us direction on how to love each other through this pandemic. Even if you didn’t attend a church service yet, you will sometime in the near future. And you will hear many of the same opinions then as I will now. Some will say, “we should have never stopped meeting.” Others will say, “It’s too soon.” Some will say, “I was never afraid of this pandemic.” Others will say, “I’m extremely afraid.” 

All this can teach us how to love one another when so many opinions are expressed. True love implies that no matter how we feel, promoting our agenda isn’t important. We promote the welfare of those around us. We practice virtual hugs and virtual hand shakes to follow the six foot rule so we honor the fearful who have risked going out into the public. We wash our hands often to keep our germs from spreading to another person even though we feel fine. We wear masks or shields in public even though they can be hot and confining, because we are more committed to expressing sacrificial love than we are being comfortable. We show compassion and patience even when we think someone’s opinion is a bit over the top. We send a note of encouragement to those we know it took every ounce of energy to leave their home because this pandemic has reminded us how precious life is. 

So, for our first service, we will have a box at the back of the sanctuary and won’t pass the offering basket to avoid many hand touches. We will have masks available to everyone who comes. We will wash door handles, faucets, and provided a boatload of hand sanitizers, not because we enjoy spending extra money, but because, it gives us opportunity love people sacrificially as God loves us. 

What a privilege it is to gather, but even more to love one another.

— Reflections appears regularly on the religion page. The column features a variety of local writers, coordinated through the Monroe Area Clergy Group. Rick Haworth is pastor of Hope Evangelical Free Church in Monroe.