Staying Connected: Hillary Bleckley
One morning last week, I woke up with an unshakable thought: bad news travels fast. Whether a headline about another school shooting, natural disasters, or political corruption, we live in a time where the darkness of this world can be seen and known in literally a matter of minutes. Certainly this is the case with COVID-19. Like the speed of a skipping rock, this disease is bouncing from one person to the next, faster than our minds can comprehend, its ripple effect beyond what we could ever, as humans, presume to know.
As soon as that thought surfaced in my mind—bad news travels fast —another, more salient one, followed. Good news travels faster. Just as there is an unseen pestilence that stalks in the darkness (Psalm 91:6), there is an unseen power—the Holy Spirit—that is alive, at work, and actively moving, even now, in and throughout the world. I'm reminded of the early church of Acts, where Christians faced great persecution and attack, and yet the gospel—the Good News—spread with fervor, with thousands being baptized each day. Though we often forget, we, as his people, have access to this power, each day, wherever we find ourselves, whether in an empty office, a mess-filled kitchen, or a one-bedroom apartment. What encouragement to know that while one unseen power leads to death, another unseen power leads to life.
It's easy to question how the gospel could spread when we are physically apart. Wasn't the early church daily meeting together, breaking bread in their homes? Is physically being together a prerequisite for this good news to spread? Based on what I've seen over the last two weeks, I'm inclined to say no. I've witnessed kid-drawn rainbows taped to windows and doors throughout neighborhoods, a small act of connection, that points people to God's covenantal promise. I've watched people serve at RPS food drives, providing love, care, and encouragement to the least of these. I've heard about and been part of rekindled long-distance friendships via Zoom meetings, a virtual space to listen and point people to Jesus. And I've seen social media—often a tool for self-promotion—turn into a place for Christians to demonstrate the power of faith over fear.
Friends, my prayer today is that God's love and life-giving grace would spread faster than this disease. May we all—wherever we find ourselves—be emboldened to actively share the love, hope, and good news of Jesus Christ.
During this time when we can't be in the same physical space, it's important that we make an intentional effort to stay connected in other ways. We would love for you to write a blog post or record a brief video or audio update sharing what this strange time is like for you and how you are seeking (and seeing!) Jesus in the midst of it. We hope to share these posts via this email newsletter, our website, and our social media channels.
If you have something you'd like to share, email it to Val (val@citychurchrva.com) or contact her with ideas, suggestions, or questions.