Practicing Christ's Compassion During Coronavirus Pandemic in Worcester, Mass. March 22-28

A Liturgy (i.e. Work of the People) for the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic Week of March 22-28 in Worcester, Massachusetts 

“Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” + Jeremiah 17:7-8

Below is a "liturgy for the week" (here is a link to two weeks ago during March 8-14 and last week during March 15-21) including encouragement, Q&As, prayer focuses, discipleship practices, articles, podcasts, songs, key Bible Project videos for novel coronavirus pandemic, quotes, "The Chosen" series recommendation, and more. Also, here is a special sermon given the day everything shut down:

Special sermon video + liturgy notes post: Christ & the Coronavirus Lenten Special | Matt. 9:18-25: Journeying with Jesus to Welcome Unexpected Interruptions 

We can't overcome this desert of disease on our own. We can't overcome the distress on our own. But we can die with Christ to our fears, and by His Spirit, surrender to the Deliverer who overcomes and resurrects.

+ ECC Facebook Live March 28 Message: The Deliverer Who Brings Forth Life in the Year of Drought (Complete with Audio and Out-of-Sync Video ... ;)

Mass featured call to worship, prayers of confession and assurance based on Psalm 103:8-14, 42:11, sermon on Jeremiah 17:5-8, Lenten Creed, Benediction, and songs recommended including All Praise, Nothing I Hold Onto (Climb This Mountain), Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me, Thy Mercy My God, and This Glorious Grace

+ 4 Gospel Choices Recommended by Jesus' Church in Italy & Spain Who are 4-6 Weeks Ahead of Us in Response to COVID-19 (ex. In Lockdown: Learning from the European Church's Missional Response Webinar)

Choose: 

| 1 | Faith in Jesus with Us Over Fear of Being Left to Solve Everything Ourselves 

| 2 | More Time in Remembering God's Word of Ancient & Everlasting Good News Over Time Watching Our Current and Rapidly Changing Local or Global News 

| 3 | More Time in Prayer Personally & Socially Over Time Engaging Social Media 

| 4 | Living in the Peace of Christ That Guards Our Hearts and Minds Over Living in Panic

+ Moravian Texts & Prayer Example (Click on Link to Sign Up for Daily Emails; check out the beginning of this post to read a little about the Moravians 100-year prayer meeting that fueled global missions and the spread of the Gospel of Jesus in the 18th century)

Tuesday, March 24 — Ps. 38:17–22; Ex. 29:31–30:16; Matt. 26:14–30 

Psalm 145:17: The Lord is just in all His ways, and kind in all His doings.  

Colossians 1:9: We have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.  

Prayer: Holy Spirit, we have faith that You are at work in the world, yet sometimes we have trouble recognizing that. Fill us with wisdom and insight so that we might see Your movements around us. Amen.

+ Some Article Recommendations

+ MDC (Soma): COVID19 & The Missio Dei 

+ WBUR: Baker Orders All Non-Essential Mass. Businesses to Close Starting Tuesday 

+ FP: Christianity Has Been Handling Epidemics for 2000 Years 

+ WP: Why outbreaks like coronavirus spread exponentially, and how to "flatten the curve"

+ Video: Francis Chan Gives Encouragement to the Church during the COVID-19 Pandemic from Hong Kong (11:36 minutes)

+ A Historic Q&A w/ 2 Songs + 4 Songs

Heidelberg Catechism 1563 A.D. Q&A 1 

Q. What is your only comfort in life and death? 

A. That I am not my own (and we are not on our own), but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and has set me free from all the power of the devil. He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. Therefore, by His Holy Spirit He also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for Him.  

Songs Based on Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 1  

+ I Am Not My Own by Jeremy Benjamin  

+ Christ Our Hope in Life and Death by Keith Getty, Matt Papa, Matt Boswell 

+ Additional Song Recommendations

+ Lord from Sorrows Deep I Call (Psalm 42) by Matt Papa & Matt Boswell 

+ Take Me Back by Maverick City 

+ New Wine by Hillsong 

+ Only a Holy God by CityAlight

+  "Pandemic" Poem

What if you thought of it
as the Jews consider the Sabbath —
the most sacred of times?
Cease from travel.
Cease from buying and selling.
Give up, just for now,
on trying to make the world
different than it is.
Sing. Pray. Touch only those
to whom you commit your life.
Center down.

And when your body has become still,
reach out with your heart.
Know that we are connected
in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.
(You could hardly deny it now.)
Know that our lives
are in one another’s hands.
(Surely, that has come clear.)
Do not reach out your hands.
Reach out your heart.
Reach out your words.
Reach out all the tendrils
of compassion that move, invisibly,
where we cannot touch.

Promise this world your love —
for better or for worse,
in sickness and in health
so long as we all shall live.

+ Lynn Ungar

+ Reminders of Socially Discerning, yet Purposefully Connecting Discipleship Practices

Worship (Up): Practice participating in the peace of Christ by being still before God each day for 5+ minutes in the morning (along with developing consistent, healthy rhythms of 8 hours of sleep, showering regularly, eating healthy, etc.) and/or evening so you can go with and return to the Prince of Peace in the rhythms of the day (ex. pray Benedictus in morning, Magnificat in evening).  

Community (In): Be proactive and set up regularly scheduled online community connections (ex. Google Video Hangout is free for all with gmail accounts; Zoom is free for 40-minute meetings or less for anyone; Facebook Messenger; Marco Polo) with each other to listen to, pray for, mourn with, laugh with, and remember together that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth right now when so much seems out of control.  

Mission (Out): Check in regularly with 3 people to be reminded of the Gospel and pray for 3 people whom it seems God has led you to specifically be connected with in relation to your micro City Group communities and/or neighborhood. 

+ Pandemic Prayer Focus Reminders

Pray for God to heal those infected with the COVID-19 virus. 

Pray for vulnerable populations (i.e. the sick, elderly, those w/ autoimmune diseases and pre-existing conditions, those who suffer from mental illness, those without shelter, those without jobs or who have lost their jobs, foster children with siblings being moved apart from each other to new homes, those working through mental health issues in response to this pandemic, those in prison who can't have visitors anymore, etc.). 

Pray for the medical professionals working to stop its spread, as well as those caring for the sick in general in hospitals. 

Pray for this virus spread to be slowed or stopped sooner than expected in the next few months (i.e. either by anti-virals, vaccine, and/or miracle). 

Pray for those making decisions on local and national levels. 

Pray for God's protection over our city, communities, friends, and family, and for His power to sacrificially love others motivated by faith and not fear with wisdom, not foolishness. 

Pray for us to submit to the reign of the perfect peace and love of Christ that drives out fear so that He may graciously and powerfully rule over our hearts and minds.

+ A Prayer to God in Anxious Times

Gracious God, Champion of the Universe ... Here we are, frightened by a thing so small it can’t be seen under most microscopes ... a virus, a mere parasite, dependent on our own living cells to replicate. And yet it has shuttered our schools, cancelled our flights ... it has consumed the attention of our leading scientists, wrenched our politics out of shape, dominated our conversations, and scared the daylights out of us. 

We don’t want to get sick. And we don’t want to die. We are afraid, O God. Afraid of a microorganism. Afraid of each other. 

Great and quiet Source of peace, quiet our fears. We are wary, uncertain, strung tight. Quiet our fears. We have no idea what the future will bring, but we do know You will be in our future to hold us there. We cannot quiet ourselves, O God. We cannot comfort ourselves, cannot heal ourselves, cannot help ourselves. All we can do is wash our hands and keep our distance. ... O God, great and quiet Source of peace, quiet us, Your anxious ones, and let us cling for comfort to Your suffering Son, Jesus Christ. Gather us under His wings. Remind us that He suffers with us, but He’s also the Great Physician. In Him, let us not be afraid. Please, let us not be afraid. Amen.   

+ Cornelius Plantinga Jr. from CRC COVID-19 and Worship: Resources for Churches Adapting to Social Isolation

Next post: Practicing Christ's Compassion During Coronavirus Pandemic in Worcester, Mass. March 29-April 4

Christ is all,

Rev. Mike "Sully" Sullivan

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