Dear friends:
Below the surface of many lives simmers a palpable tension between accommodating our current social reality and celebrating important milestones.
In the early days of this pandemic, most important occasions — funerals, wedding, baptisms, and graduations — were put on hold until future dates. As the pandemic drags into its fifth month, many are deciding to press forward with requisite adaptations. This Sunday’s worship service, in which we will ordain Daniel Heath to ministry, is a clear example.
Daniel served for seven years as Covenant’s Director of Contemporary Worship and Arts and has spent the last three years at Princeton Seminary preparing for ordained ministry. In anticipation of his graduation, we slated his ordination service to be this Sunday, confident that the pandemic would be long past. When decision time came, we decided to press forward as planned and will celebrate his ordination virtually. We’re fortunate to have Jerry Cannon, Senior Pastor at C.N Jenkins Presbyterian Church, guest preaching this weekend. The music will be excellent, and the service (at both 9:30 and 11 a.m.) will be a positive example of how to move forward with important life events even amidst major interruptions.
Next week will begin a longer sermon series (not longer sermons, though!) on the topic of how to respond to interruptions. We’ll explore how various biblical characters (including Jesus) respond when interrupted, what equipped them to respond in that fashion, and how we might follow their examples. I hope you’ll create space and time to join us.
Also, let me offer a word of sincere thanks for your resilience and generosity. Covenant continues to serve boldly in the city, educate and care for children, and surround people with love during times of crisis. I’m deeply grateful to be part of such a dynamic community of faith, and the pandemic has only put that privilege in clearer relief. Please look next week for a substantial update about our life and mission.
I’ll see you on Sunday.
