“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’”
Psalm 122:1
Michael Buffer has made a name for himself by calling out the phrase, “Let’s get ready to rumbl-l-l-le!!!” And as we come into July, I feel like Michael could do his signature phrase as a call to worship. Can you imagine Sunday worship starting with, “Let’s get ready to rumbl-l-l-le!!!”? Ha ha hahhh! Probably not. But sometimes I wonder if we really capture the joy we are meant to experience when we enter into the house of the LORD. I’m excited as we continue to reopen.
That’s why I thought of Psalm 122: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’” I’m not sure that translation really captures the sentiment very well. I like Eugene Peterson’s version: “When they said, ‘Let’s go to the house of God,’ my heart leaped for joy.” I like that. Our hearts should leap for joy when we enter into worship.
Following CDC and California State guidelines, FPCSA is now opening up to all people. Since not everyone is vaccinated (especially mindful of our children), we will continue to maintain COVID protocols: 1) if you’re feeling sick at all, please stay home; 2) when in the church facility, please wear a face covering; 3) please keep your hands clean; 4) please maintain safe social distancing (that includes not moving the ropes in the sanctuary); and 5) please continue to love your neighbor.
With the reopening of our church campus comes the restarting of our in-person Children’s Ministry in July. Ms. Sandra will do all she can to provide a safe, clean environment for our children. She’ll have individual stations for each child to keep them safely distanced. Parents, please let your youngsters know they will be expected to wear a face mask and keep their hands clean.
I don’t know if you remember, but Ms. Sandra had just started in March 2020 when FPCSA closed for “2 weeks.” We all know that 2 weeks turned into months, and then for more than a year. So Ms. Sandra is excited to start meeting with our children. It should also be noted that the children’s ministry has doubled during the quarantine. Ms. Sandra is doing an exceptional job!
Since the first Sunday in July is the 4th of July, Ms. Sandra is planning to celebrate Independence Day with hotdogs for our children. Parents, if your child has any food restrictions, please let Ms. Sandra know.
But why should the kids have all the fun??? It’s the middle of summer. It’s the 4th of July. We have a tradition at FPCSA of celebrating summer with ice cream sundaes. Bobbie Rooker has taken the baton from Hariet Arnol to scoop up some summer deliciousness for this Family First Sunday on July 4th. All volunteer servers will be masked and gloved.
In the middle of June, I went to a meeting with other Santa Ana pastors. I was so happy to hear the positive reports from other clergy. There is a definite sense that God is on the move. People are excited to return to church, to worship God with their church family, to experience divine fellowship, and to shine the light and love of Jesus Christ to the world.
Let’s tap into that energy. Let’s get excited to return to our beautiful sanctuary. Let’s allow our hearts to leap for joy. Let’s invite neighbors and friends to join us. And let’s get ready to rumbl-l-l-le!!!
I’m excited to see you soon!
In His name and in His service, I remain yours,
Pastor Lance