September 26, 2020!!  Mark that date on your calendar!  Now I know you are wondering what is so special about that day?  Here is what is happening.  God has raised up a group of people who are leading a “Global Day of Repentance and Prayer” for our nation.  Christians from all over will converge on the Washington Mall to participate in this, and those who are not able to attend will be able to participate in this via simulcast. 

My brothers and sisters in Christ – I’m sure that you sense, as I do, that our nation is at a crossroads.  We are nearing the “point of no return” – where, if God does not intervene in some way, we could very well see the America that we have known and love become a relic of the past.  I believe as many do, that the only way to avert our demise as a nation, is for us to humble ourselves before the Lord and repent of our evil ways.  We must do exactly what the nation of Nineveh did in the days of Jonah, and all of this must begin with the people of God, His Church. 

I want you to go to the website:  thereturnwebsite.org and watch the short video of what is being planned.  I have signed up for us as a church to host the simulcast on September 26th,  so I hope you will make plans to be a part of this.  We desperately need a Revival in our nation!  We desperately need God to step in and do what no man can do!  I believe that if we will join with fellow believers in this community and around the country and call out to God for mercy – even as the Ninevites did – He will hear us and He will answer our prayers.  There is so much at stake here!  Let’s not let apathy and complacency keep us from doing our part! 

I mentioned last Sunday that we would resume celebrating the Lord’s Supper on the first Sunday of each month, beginning August 2nd. We will be doing a couple of things differently so as to protect everyone as best we can.  The first thing we will do is have those who prepare the elements wear latex gloves and masks.  We will also have the servers do the same.  We will not be passing the plates as we have traditionally done, so only the servers will be touching them with their gloves on.  The servers will walk down each row and those who want to receive the elements will hold the palm of their hand up and the server will place the element in their hands.

One other thing that we will do for those who feel a little uncomfortable in a gathering where everyone isn’t wearing a mask – during the 10:45 service, we will use the youth room (in the building behind the main church) for overflow and everyone who comes to this gathering will be required to wear a mask.  The service will be watched on YouTube, but then the sacrament will be observed with a server distributing the elements in the same way we’re doing in the main building.

When Emma was small, Crossgate was in its beginning stage. The church had not “organized” and was not in its own building.  The normal place for children was in the service and, well, sometimes out of the service if they got too verbose!  Young children cannot be little adults no matter how cute they look in their fine Sunday clothes!  If you might be concerned that the whole world must be watching or thinking about the behaviour of your children during Sunday service, we are not!  

In my day, I was approached by loving “older” members with many an encouraging word.  Now it is my turn and I feel privileged to offer the encouragement!  Your children are learning that it is important to come to God’s house and to listen.  At their young age, this is an important lesson even if they cannot listen.:) They are watching the actions of adults, teenagers, and older children as we sing to the Lord with great volume and sit quietly as a pastor leads us in prayer to our Heavenly Father.  All these experiences get embedded in a child.  I have a fond memory during the hymn singing at my home church of looking around at the throngs of people all offering their sacrifice of praise to their God…..I knew God was in that place.  I have reflected on that moment and now, of course, realize that it was a great gift to be given at a young age.  God is real, tangible and loving.  So, we are glad to have your young ones in the service!

All of us know how Covid-19 has impacted our whole way of life.  I still find it strange that when I go to a store, I see people with face masks on.  I certainly understand why, but it’s still a weird feeling to see this in the U.S.  And then we see how this virus has impacted our economy, affecting virtually every segment of the American workforce.  And as a result, a lot of people are really struggling to meet financial obligations.  But looking beyond these things, we can talk about the physical and emotional impact of this virus on a whole host of folks. Whether you catch the virus or not, it’s obvious that this virus has altered our way of living.

But how has Covid affected you spiritually?   There’s no doubt that this virus has affected the local church.  Churches have not been able to meet together for worship as in the past, and most of the church programs have been put on hold for fear that we might inadvertently spread the virus.  But what about your personal walk with the Lord?  Has your walk with Christ become rather sickly and anemic in the midst of this pandemic?  Is your spiritual life so dependent upon outside Bible studies and other programs that when those are not available, you just sort of hobble along spiritually and become more and more complacent and apathetic?   Are you consistently spending time in God’s Word and prayer, or have these things been sort of pushed aside for the time being?  And what about church worship on Sunday?  Are you staying home for worship because it takes less effort on your part or because you have a genuine concern about your health?  Now don’t misunderstand me here.  We know that there are people in our church who need to stay home and join us livestream, but sometimes I wonder if there are some who are going to the stores and work during the week, but using Covid as an excuse for not coming to church.  Maybe not.  But my point is simply this – it’s easy in times like these, to just sort of throw spiritual discipline out the window and become somewhat flabby spiritually.  (like the Covid /quarantine weight gain!  Have you experienced this?)  We can either focus on doing what feels good at the moment, or we can see this as a great opportunity to nourish our souls and become strong in the faith.    

Listen, these are tough days that we are living in.  They’re not fun and I know that we all can’t wait until we can resume some semblance of normality.   We’re tired of this “social distance” stuff!  We’re tired of feeling blah!  We long for things to get back to normal.  But until then, we have to ask – “How does God want to use this pandemic to feed my soul and to mature me in my faith?”

Brothers and Sisters in Christ – I want to encourage you in these strange times to seek after the Lord with your whole heart.  Get to know Him better through His Word and Prayer.  Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.  Don’t allow the sin of apathy and complacency to infect your soul so that you simply coast along.  Rather use this time to deepen your walk with Christ so that you might grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Why do students come to Crossgate? Well, with many of them, they were invited by a friend or were told to by their parents, but after attending for some time, they recognized that something is different about this youth group. There is fellowship, not just hanging out. There are brothers and sisters, not just friends. There is genuine care for one another, and a recognition that what everyone truly needs is the power of God for salvation, the gospel of Jesus Christ. When one student was asked about what distinguished Crossgate’s Youth Ministry from other youth ministries, he responded:

“As a youth, I feel more respected at Crossgate than other youth groups. This is because the messages aren’t geared around entertainment, but correct teaching on the Gospel. Crossgate is a fun youth group, but they acknowledge the fact that the youth have the capacity to WANT to learn about God, instead of merely being entertained.”