LITTLE CHURCH, BIG MESSAGE

For decades, it's anchored an intersection of the main roads of hilly orchard country near my home in Washington state. At one time, its pastor was my late father-in-law, who had a nearby cherry orchard. It's also the church where my husband and I repeated our wedding vows in 1981. With my parents both deceased, “simple” ruled my choices instead of a big and stressful wedding. Perhaps that's why I did a double-take when we recently drove past the church to visit some friends. The church reader-board offered a “simple” but profound message for our Covid-19 concerns and fears: “God is in control.”

I wonder if the simplicity of the church's surroundings made this message all the more powerful. While our world has magnificent cathedrals and sprawling worship center campuses, the Gospel can be powerfully lived out in simple ways. Witness, for example, the nostalgia presented in an old hymn, “The Church in the Wildwood,” written in 1857. Dr. William S. Pitts penned its lyrics after a stagecoach ride through Bradford, Iowa. Histories about this hymn said there wasn't even a “church in the vale” until one was built later and became known simply as “The Little Brown Church.” In such simpler times, more people of faith populated the towns, and their social events often revolved around church gatherings. It certainly wasn't exercise classes, sporting events, or rock concerts that brought out the community in those days!

Maybe we need to return to that sense of a “church in the vale,” a connection point, how humble it may be, which renews the ties we have with people of faith in our community. And, which provides a doorway for people exploring faith in Christ to come and watch. I know that's hard with the Covid-19 restrictions limiting those who attend worship services. These days, as “older people” with health risks, we've experienced the frustration of limited congregational fellowship. But God is in control. When our son recently experienced a very serious health crisis and emergency surgery, the church family came forth with prayers, meals, and practical help. Our current pandemic hasn't killed compassion.

“Come unto me,” Jesus said, “all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). The church, of course, is not a building. It's the invisible bonding of people who love Jesus and in whom He lives. Who trust this truth articulated by the aging apostle John: “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4 ESV, boldface added).

In other words, God is in control. No matter what.