The
idea of worship outside under the retreat center building seems to have become
a thing at Seaside. I have even begun to
hear people outside of the church refer to us by yet another new epithet: “That
Outside Church.” I have to admit, it has
been unexpectedly nice under there. We
knew there would always be a breeze from the Gulf. But we also know that it can get deceptively
hot around here in the summer. I suppose
the blessing has just been upon us in that arena so far.
As
far as our people are concerned, Seasiders are some of the most resilient on
the planet. They have been more than willing
to grab a beach chair, pull on some shorts and a T-shirt, and head over to
worship together. The fact that we are
outside has even made the whole experience safer for those in the endangered
categories as far as the Corona virus is concerned. And don’t forget the ones who have been
joining us at home through Seaside Online, the Facebook Live branch of
operations. They have been especially
patient and kind as we have worked every week to overcome the inevitable
glitches that come with technology, and in my case, operator error. Our amazing praise team under the direction
of worship pastor Jim has worked hard to figure out the best positioning for
leading worship, and they are still hard at it, tweaking the sound every week
for the absolute best worship experience ever.
It
would seem that our efforts at making lemonade out of what could be sour lemons
has been a rousing success. And of
course at the root of it all is the work of the Holy Spirit. Without Him we would certainly be floundering
(And I don’t mean catching a certain aquatic denizen with a uniquely oval shape
with eyes on top of its head). I’m proud
of you, Seaside.
Romans
12:9-10 says, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is
good. Be devoted to one another in
love. Honor one another above
yourselves.”
Father,
thank you for this whole Outside Church experience you have blessed us
with. It has been delightful. Amen.
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