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Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Facebook Live Devotional Check-In, April 7, 2020




            I discovered myself on Saturday.  Why Saturday?  It was food pantry day.
At the end of last year, our church entered a partnership with the Point Church of Chapel Hill.  Together we run a food pantry sharing with families that need the help.  The pantry is open the first Saturday morning of each month.  When the Coronavirus broke out in the United States and businesses started closing and people were forced to stay home, we upped the frequency of the pantry to every Saturday morning. 
          Just a couple weeks before this happened, I had a major ankle surgery.  In my medical chart it’s described like this: “right ankle allograft reconstruction of the ATFL, CFL, peroneus longus to brevis tendon transfer, calcaneal exostectomy, ankle arthroscopy, debridement, and synovectomy including large anterior distal tibial spur.” 
          What it meant was, for a couple of weeks, I was non-weight bearing, so I had to use a knee scooter to get around.  I couldn’t drive and won’t be able until sometime in May.  Hopefully.  In the long run, the surgery will undoubtedly be good for me and will improve my quality of life.  In the short run, my disabled condition left me depressed.  A lot of people deal with much, much worse than what I have been through.  But, it had me down. With “social distancing” added to my already limited state, I was feeling bad.  My spirit felt very low.
Since COVID-19 hit us, my family has volunteered every day at a food distribution site where kids who rely on free school lunches are able to get meals with school out because of the virus crisis.   My family also volunteered at the church food pantry every Saturday.  I have been unable to participate much in these endeavors 
However, last Friday, a month after the surgery, my cast was cut off and I was in a walking boot.  So, when it came time for the food pantry on Saturday, I was able to go.  To maintain social distancing, we have all the clients stay in their cars and we bring the groceries out to them.  Volunteers did that.
What I did on Saturday was I walked down the line of cars and greeted the drivers.  I asked each carload of people how they’re doing, dealing with quarantine and “stay-at-home” orders.  A few people didn’t really want to talk much, but most were very happy to converse.  They’re as cooped at home as I am.  It felt so good to greet people.
I’ll tell you what it felt like, just a little bit.  It felt like greeting people at church on Sunday morning.  How I have missed that.  Oh I’ve missed it so much.  What I love most about ministry is people.  I was on a zoom call with several pastors and I could tell they were feeling it too.
It’s Holy Week.  We’re used to being at the church building with the church people: Thursday night, Friday night, Sunday morning for the sunrise service and then the 11 AM service.  God designed me to be with people.  I have always known that.  Meeting all those folks at the food pantry helped me rediscover who I am.
What about you?  Do you need to look deep inside and rediscover who you are?  Obviously, we won’t be together for Easter, not in person anyway.  And I will miss it and feel a little bit sad.  But, the reality of Jesus, risen from the grave, is much bigger in defining who I am and who you are.  We walk in joy.  We are in the world, but apart from the world.  We have hope.  Why?  Because he lives.
If you’re going through a tough time, let me know.  I’d love to pray for you.  If we talk on the phone, I can pray with you.  If I don’t get a chance to talk with you, that’s OK.  You don’t need me.  You need the same thing I need, and we have it.  We have Jesus.  He tells us who we are.  That’s the most important discovery. 

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