Creation Restored: An Easter Sermon
Patrick Edwards
Acts 16:16-34
Introduction
I know I'm not alone in this, but can I just say how wonderful it is to be back together this year for Resurrection Sunday! That's not to exclude those of you watching online, but compared to last year where we were staring at cameras and you were staring at a T.V. screen, what a joy it is to be gathered together as a family of faith celebrating and declaring together that Jesus is alive, He is Savior, and He is King! I've been asked a lot over the last year, and even still here recently, by both persons here in the community and from far away how the church has done throughout COVID. Not just about attendance, or finances, or ministry, but particularly how has the church body been affected this past year.
You see, yes, we've had our cases and the sort, but more than anything where I think we've been affected most is not physically, but spiritually and emotionally. Time will only tell the kind of trauma or effects that this past year has had. Children lacking the bonding experiences between each other and teachers; people in the workplace only connecting with each other via Zoom; the general fear of one another, strangers, in the store, at the park, wherever. We've lost a bit, if not more, of our collective humanity.
And then there's the personal effects, the private ones that maybe no one else notices. You've slipped into endless binging on Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ because you've become addicted to escaping through entertainment. Your screen time has skyrocketed. You've gained weight and stopped taking care of yourself as well. You've been drinking more and more and earlier and earlier than you ever did before. Maybe you haven't been engaged in a church service since last year; you've haven't been in God's Word and in prayer. My point is that this pandemic has shown just how broken this world is, for COVID hasn't just broken the norms of society; perhaps, it's broken y ...
Patrick Edwards
Acts 16:16-34
Introduction
I know I'm not alone in this, but can I just say how wonderful it is to be back together this year for Resurrection Sunday! That's not to exclude those of you watching online, but compared to last year where we were staring at cameras and you were staring at a T.V. screen, what a joy it is to be gathered together as a family of faith celebrating and declaring together that Jesus is alive, He is Savior, and He is King! I've been asked a lot over the last year, and even still here recently, by both persons here in the community and from far away how the church has done throughout COVID. Not just about attendance, or finances, or ministry, but particularly how has the church body been affected this past year.
You see, yes, we've had our cases and the sort, but more than anything where I think we've been affected most is not physically, but spiritually and emotionally. Time will only tell the kind of trauma or effects that this past year has had. Children lacking the bonding experiences between each other and teachers; people in the workplace only connecting with each other via Zoom; the general fear of one another, strangers, in the store, at the park, wherever. We've lost a bit, if not more, of our collective humanity.
And then there's the personal effects, the private ones that maybe no one else notices. You've slipped into endless binging on Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ because you've become addicted to escaping through entertainment. Your screen time has skyrocketed. You've gained weight and stopped taking care of yourself as well. You've been drinking more and more and earlier and earlier than you ever did before. Maybe you haven't been engaged in a church service since last year; you've haven't been in God's Word and in prayer. My point is that this pandemic has shown just how broken this world is, for COVID hasn't just broken the norms of society; perhaps, it's broken y ...
There are 19373 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
