Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, March 17, 2020
Once again, we first want to remind you who you are, the dear children of our Heavenly Father. In the midst of all these things that are happening right now, never forget the one thing that never changes, his love and his abiding care for each of us as his dear children.
The second thing we want you to know is this. As the pastors and the leaders of our church, your spiritual and material welfare is our concern. We want you to know that we are here for you. We are trying to make the best decisions possible. First, we are letting the never-changing Word of our Lord guide us. Second, we are looking at the latest information from medical and government officials. With this in mind, Romans 13 does bid us to submit to the governing authorities so long as they do not bid us to sin against God’s commands. With this in mind, we will not be having public worship services this weekend due to the directives of both the president as well as the health professionals from the Center for Disease Control. The president of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod has also reminded us of this Word from our Lord.
I cannot tell you how much I regret that we will not be together in worship on Sunday. Fellowship among God's people is such a blessing from the Lord. It's one of the reasons that God commands us to assemble together for worship (Hebrews10). For behind the face of every child of God that we meet in worship is no-one less than Jesus who lives within each of us.
With that being said, our Lord still does reign. he is Immanuel, God with us to the very end of the age as we teach his word (Matthew 28:16-20). So with this in mind, first and foremost, we do want to get the Word to you. While I will be away in Ohio to visit my mother who was placed on hospice, Pastor Rosser will be doing a live stream of a message. This can be viewed on our Facebook group page for the church. Simply CLICK THE FACEBOOK LINK ON THE BOTTOM OF THIS EMAIL. (The blue circle with an "f" on it.) or go to Facebook and search for Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Chattanooga. There will also be some live music and you will have an opportunity to participate in a worship service from your homes. Remember, our Lord Jesus Christ is present with you! He promises to be present where his Word is taught in its truth and proclaimed in its purity. His word is true. It is a never-changing word of his grace and of life itself.
We will be giving you week by week updates on what we're doing to minister to you. We want to stay in regular communication with everybody. If you need personal pastoral ministry, please let the office know, or contact one of the pastors or your lay minister. We will be there for you. This also includes needs for things such as groceries or prescriptions. We are a family at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, part of God's family. If you know of somebody who has a need, once again, contact the church office. We want to be the people of God. It's not just about taking care of ourselves. With our God holding us close in his grace and care, he opens the door for us to love as he first loved us. This means loving our neighbor in their moments of need.
We want to remind you once again of who you are. You are the blessed children of God, sheltered under the umbrella of his grace, safe in the refuge of our Lord. He is our hiding place where we can feel safe. But he also makes us the city that he sets upon a hill so that his light can shine through us! Remember who you are! God certainly does. He's put his name upon you in your baptism. He's sealed you with his Holy Spirit
All our love in Christ our Lord,
Pastor Sheets
Pastor Rosser
Steve Meyer- Congregational Chairman
Lane McKown- Lay Ministry Chairman
Dr. Mark Steele
