Message from Pastor Blount

To say that things as we have known them have changed is an understatement. One day it was business as usual and the next day we don’t even recognize what is going on. But even in the midst of all the changes that are taking place, we must take time to observe and be aware of what is taking place around us. There is something that we can learn from everything that happens to us. We must take the time to see what the lesson is in each situation.

As we look at the impact of the Coronavirus on individuals as well as society as a whole, there is one lesson that I hope that we do not miss. The one thing that I keep noticing as I look around is we need each other. It has become very evident since we are having to be socially distant, we may have taken many relationships for granted. We are operating in a time when people are not able to visit family members who are in hospitals or nursing homes. It has even come to the point that families are not able to grieve the loss of their loved ones. They are not able to be comforted by friends who have been part of past celebrations and sorrow. Families now have to offer support from a distance.

The church is another place that I think many are coming to the realization that we really need each other. Being unable to gather as a body of believers as we have become accustomed has made us realize our need to be in relationship with one another. Relationships have been a part of our existence from the very beginning. Our lives began by connecting to our parents, siblings and other relatives. Our need for relationships continues to grow as we move through the different stages of life.

Hebrews 10:25 (KJV)
25 “ Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”  The verse encourages us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. This is another indication that being in a relationship is important, especially for the believer. It is through our relationships and our coming together that we are able to encourage one another on this journey. We are not an island, but we need each other. We need each other to talk with, to share with, to comfort one another, to and be there for one another. For some people relationships and knowing that people are there for them is the only thing that keeps them going. Therefore, we must guard every relationship that we have and cherish it as the jewel that it is.

The words of the song No Man Is An Island by Joan Baez sum up the importance of relationships. When you find yourself thinking that you are in this alone remember the words of No Man Stands Alone.

No man is an island
No man stands alone
Each man’s joy is joy to me
Each man’s grief is my own
 
We need one another
So I will defend
Each man as my brother
Each man as my friend
 
I saw the people gather
I heard the music start
The song that they were singing
Is ringing in my heart
 
No man is an island
Way out in the blue
We all look to the one above
For our strength to renew
 

When I help my brother
Then I know that I
Plant the seed of friendship
That will never die


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