Our Easter was both the same and different this year.
What was the same:
- We celebrated the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
What was different:
- We heard a total of three sermons--one by Stephen's brother, Michael, who is pastor of First Baptist Church, Marshall, Missouri; one by Joel Taylor, pastor of our church, Peninsula Bible Church in Cupertino; and one by Julio Contreras, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva, San Salvador.
- We wore comfortable clothes--not a thing new or dressy--all day and took a 2-mile walk.
- We had a "big Easter lunch" by ourselves. I roasted a whole chicken with potatoes, onions, carrots and celery.
- We watched our grandchildren (from a safe distance) hunt Easter eggs in their yard.
On Sunday morning we "go" to the 8:30 service at Peninsula Bible Church as we sit on the couch in our living room. Our church, like many others, reacted quickly to get on board with the new reality. This week we celebrated the Lord's Supper with our fellow church members and were reminded that "doing this in remembrance of his broken body and spilled blood" can take place in whatever situation we find ourselves.
Our weekly Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) small groups are held on Zoom calls, and we watch the BSF recorded lecture on the BSF.org website. Our small group has not met during the month of March.
It takes an effort to stay connected to people during this time, but it can be done through face-to-face sharing apps, regular phone calls, emails, texts or even by going "old-school" and writing letters or notes.
What's even more important than staying connected to people is staying connected to the Father. He's always there and easily found through his Word and prayer. He is not surprised by current events or our individual circumstances. He is faithful. He is and always will be in control of his creation.
These good questions help us focus on the fact that WELLNESS is more than just physical health. Wellness takes the big picture into account; it includes spiritual, mental, emotional and physical health.
Spiritually--I'm so glad that my Bible Study Fellowship class is still meeting every Tuesday morning. It gives me the opportunity to connect with my Christian sisters and take some time to focus on the Word which is the source of all truth.
Mentally--Since I love to read, I'm finding that I'm not feeling guilty for spending my quarantine time with my nose in a book! It's easy to relax when I read because I can set aside the present and connect with the story.
Emotionally--I'm connecting with family by phone/video as often as I can--probably more than I did when I was "really" busy. I have to admit it's been a challenge not to spend time with the four grandkids, especially Little M as he doesn't really understand.
Physically--I'm getting my 2+ mile walk in on most days; cooking healthy food (no eating out), taking vitamins and supplements and generally staying "oiled" up. Of course, we're under a mandatory shelter in place here in California. It's Day 18 of 48, but I know that these restrictions protect us which speaks to my physical health. Here's an interesting article that dives into the use of Nutraceuticals to Combat COVID 19. It's a balanced look from a blogger I follow who has a doctorate in pharmacy.
