And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 ESV
Stay at home orders, the great mask debate, hurricanes, distance working, learning and worshiping, civil unrest, a contentious election cycle, and the loss of dear friends and family members to COVID 19 seem to be the major events that will dominate our memories of 2020. In a frustrating year filled with so many problems, it could be really easy to focus on the negatives.
Of all things to help me see the good in the past year, my phone recently made a video montage that helped remind me of what a great year we actually had. For us, 2020 started with the kid’s award’s ceremonies and a successful CYBL basketball league. Soon after, I got to stay in the hospital after taking Chris Ramirez’ paw to the face while playing basketball at church. That may sound bad, but I’m completely recovered, and because of that paw to the face, we got to experience the church’s outpouring of love and support during a difficult time - praise God!
Throughout the pandemic, our family spent a lot of time together playing board games, cooking, assembling puzzles and creating our Treehouse Club videos with the help of the kids from First Baptist Weslaco and some special guests. Through this time Alaina, my daughter, made a profession of faith and was baptized…along with quite a few other children from our church! In addition, A great team put together our God’s Armor VBS and Rachel helped me hone my recording chops through our worship videos (See Church Music Videos here). In response to the hurricane, our church members, including our great youth, stepped up to muck-out houses that were damaged by the hurricane. I also wrote a children’s musical, attended multiple virtual conferences I would never have been able to do in person, wrote an Advent Hymn, and wrote and recorded a birthday song for Ana with the help of some mutually locked-down artists (hence the prom picture at the beginning of the video). We also took some calculated risks to safely spend time with friends and family, surf the waves of South Padre Island and hike the hills of Tennessee.
And this was just the good in our family! Throughout 2020, church members have remained resilient in their faith through online attendance at Bible studies, worship services and through online giving. Many of us have worshiped at in-person services in spite of facial coverings, changing venues, and extreme heat and cold. Many who mourned the loss of loved ones found comfort in the continuation of our Grief Share ministry and our annual Blue Christmas Service because they serve as reminders of Emmanuel, God with us!
Looking back, it is easy to see how God uses all things to work together for good. Ministries transformed, Bible study teachers adapted, faithful volunteers continued to serve in new ways, and outstanding artists created new offerings of worship. So I guess I can truly say, “thank you iPhone.” JUST KIDDING! Thank You God for being with us through this difficult time. Thank You God for the ability to create, worship, keep in touch through technology and re-prioritize our lives around the things that are really important. Thank You God for a thriving church that has been agile in its ability to worship and serve no matter what comes their way. Thank You God for comforting the broken-hearted and blessing those who mourn. Can you see the good God has done? Maybe the Old Year was happy after all!
Pastor Ray is looking forward to seeing what great things God has in store for FBC Weslaco in 2021. Pray for him as he will be teaching a worship class at Stark College and Seminary this semester!