Being the lead pastor of a church is something that I have aspired to for quite some time. I have, over the years, imagined the place, the people, the ministries - and much of what I imagined is reflected here in Bevier. I was gifted the opportunity to step into a ministry situation that was well-established, working with a church body that attended regularly, looked for ways to serve, gave faithfully, and was genuinely ready to accept a new upstart pastor from Colorado.

Then, the world turned upside down.

If Hollywood has taught me anything, it's that when the big sick hits, it will be fast. It will be gross. It will be so obvious to everyone that the end of days is here, and we will live out our days in hazmat suits under martial law. But there is hope - there is always the one researcher who breaks all the rules and finds the host - that monkey or dog or bird, and suddenly everyone is saved.

What Hollywood didn't tell me is that this situation could just as easily start with what seems like a simple cold, and everyone simply ignores it. I never expected that professionals would advise people to stay out of large groups and wash their hands - I thought it was all common sense - we could just ignore the seriousness of the warnings. After all, if this thing is for real, there would be chaos at the stores and little else on the news.

So here we are, with no toilet paper or dairy products, and people are stealing from each other in the Walmart parking lot. Politicians are spinning the pandemic however they can to their own advantage, and celebrities have locked themselves inside their massive estates, leaking criticism for the rest of the world that has to go to work, coronavirus or not.

Where does this leave us as a Church? As I mentioned in my sermon on Sunday, I never imagined that the first time I spoke as a Lead Pastor to my congregation, I would be speaking to an empty room. I never imagined that I would not be shaking hands after the service, praying for fellow believers and breaking bread with my church family. I never thought that our reliance on technology would be the very thing that keeps us going as a Church.

Yet, this is life now. I have heard many positive and encouraging comments around our remote format, and have seen endless stories of other churches who had to scramble to provide internet-based services. Yet, all over the world this past Sunday, thousands - even millions - of Christians praised and worshiped together from a safe social distance.

Let's take a moment and consider the absolutely overwhelming fact of what I just wrote. What we saw this past weekend addressed concerns that churches all over the world have shared for decades:

- Church is not about a building - we were able to worship together while apart.
- Church is not about the controversy or the latest gossip
- Church is not about what you wore or who you sat next to

This weekend, Church regained its focus. Church became about God - and Him alone. For some churches this return was a longer journey than for others, but we all arrived at the same place and for the same purpose. 

How many times have we wondered what we could do as Christians if we were all united. Well, now is the time. This is our chance. 

Let's change the world!