Live at Cross Connection Church

I think you would probably agree this morning that we are living in unprecedented times, what is really a historic period. The circumstances we are in the midst of, not just as a nation but as the world, are truly bizarre. As I shared last week, it sometimes feels like we are living in the midst of a movie, which is really fascinating.

At the end of 2019, I had the strong impression that 2020 was going to be a year of chaos. Primarily, I was thinking about that because of all the things happening in our nation politically, especially since this is a campaign season. I certainly was not expecting all of the things that have been happening over the last several weeks here in our nation and in the world. It truly is pretty chaotic.

As we come to the Scriptures today, there are a number of things that I think the Lord wants to minister to us and share with us from His Word. Before we get into the Scriptures, I have a few different places in the Bible that I'd like for us to go to today. I've been confronted, if you will, with a question a number of times this last week by both people in our church and other pastors I've been talking with. The question is pretty simple: How should we respond as Christians to everything that we see going on in the world?

I've been thinking a lot about that question over the last several days. I think there are three important things for us to consider in answering the question of how we should respond to the things happening in this world. First off, I think we should respond as much as we possibly can with wisdom. I know I keep hearing a lot of people say things like, "Out of the abundance of caution, we're going to do A, B, C." I think that's all well and good, but I really believe we should try to decide what we're doing out of the abundance of wisdom.

We should be seeking wisdom from the Scriptures as to how we Christians should consider these things we are going through. This is even really important in the text of Scripture that we have been in over the last several weeks here at Cross Connection Church. We spent quite a while in Deuteronomy 1 talking about the importance of having leaders who are wise, knowledgeable, and understanding. When we're confronted with all of the things going on, we want to try and respond with wisdom, which is why we are doing things the way we're doing things this weekend.

Not having our services gathered here at the church is certainly a challenge, but we are grateful that we have the ability to connect online in this way. Out of wisdom, I believe this is the right course of action in light of the current situation and the recommendations we are receiving from the medical community. They keep urging us to flatten the curve and slow the spread of this virus.

We are trying to observe social distancing, which feels a bit strange for a church like Cross Connection Church, where our mission and vision center on life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus. However, to help those in the medical community respond effectively and to support those who are truly sick with this virus, it is wise for us to gather in this manner. Until otherwise announced, this will be our way of gathering for church. Even though we are not physically together, we can still be one in Christ and unified in this way.

We are trusting God for wisdom. He has given us minds to think rationally, and hopefully, that is what we are doing, even though there seems to be a lot of irrationality in our culture. I keep receiving text messages and pictures from people showing empty toilet paper shelves at stores or long lines outside Costco before it even opens early in the morning. It is indeed a crazy time.

We want to ensure that we respond with wisdom. This is the first way we will approach these circumstances. Secondly, we will respond to the situations as they arise. I don’t know about you, but I tend to think things through weeks or months in advance. However, in a situation like this, where everything is changing constantly, that is not really possible. We will respond as things come up.

Last week, I shared a story from Max Lucado's book, "The Woodcutter's Wisdom," about a woodcutter whose horse runs away. The woodcutter keeps responding to each situation as it arises, saying, "All I know is this." Right now, we are in a similar position, responding to what we know and can see right in front of us. I think the Apostle James provided wise counsel in the book of James over 2,000 years ago.

In James chapter 4, verse 13, he says, "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city and spend a year there and buy and sell and make a profit,' whereas you don't even know what's going to happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away." Instead, you ought to say, as stated in James chapter 4, verse 15, "If the Lord wills, we shall live or do this or that."

This is one of those times where, for the planners who are tuned in, like myself, it is very hard to plan what is going to happen this next week or this next month. We kind of just have to say, "Lord, whatever you will in this situation." We want to respond with wisdom and address situations as they arise.

The third thing I have been thinking about in answering the question of how we should respond to all this is that we are going to seek to continue to trust the Lord and to learn to trust the Lord in this situation. I think, just in examining my own heart this last week, that I have a lot to learn regarding trusting in the Lord. There is a very important passage of Scripture in Proverbs chapter 3, where Solomon says, "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path."

We will always experience challenges in life; it is a given. As we go through these challenges, we need to recognize that the Lord wants us to learn to trust in Him, to rely upon Him, and to continue to walk with Him through these things.

How are we going to respond to one another in this situation? I think we are going to continue to do what the church has done for many centuries. That is, we are going to continue to pray for one another, to comfort one another, to support one another, and to bear one another's burdens. Throughout the Scriptures, we have the "one another's" of the Bible. We can learn an awful lot during this period of time about how to be Christ-like, how to bear one another's burdens, and how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.

This is a great opportunity for us to learn some new lessons about being Christians, about being Christ-like, and about trusting in Jesus. I think that part of learning those lessons may require, especially as we have all been placed in this weird Sabbath sort of pause in our culture, that it might be worthwhile.

To spend some time with the Lord, just privately, you and the Lord, ask Him if there is something He wants to teach you through this situation. Is there something He wants you to learn so that you can come through this on the other side, having learned? Maybe God wants to teach you and me to slow down a little bit. We live in a very busy culture where we feel the need to constantly be busy, but right now, we're kind of being forced to not be busy, which can be really challenging for me, and I'm sure it is for some of you as well.

Perhaps the Lord wants to help us disconnect—from some of the technology, from social media, or maybe from the news. I know for many years, I have shared with people the importance of taking a little bit of a Sabbath or going on a fast, if you will, from the news, because the news can be so distressing and discouraging, and right now, that is especially the case. We are constantly being bombarded with text messages and voicemails coming from the government. I got a call today from the government, and instantly, I was logged on to a conference call. There are all kinds of things going on; we are just being bombarded all the time.

So maybe this is a great opportunity to disconnect from social media and the news. Maybe God wants us to learn a little bit more about trusting in Him, hoping in Him, and relying upon Him more than trusting in our job, our bank account, the government, or our investments. This would be a good time to ask the Lord if He is trying to teach you something in this. You can also ask Him if there is something He wants you to do during this period of time. Perhaps God is calling you to spend more time in His Word, to spend more time in prayer, or to reach out to some friends over text messages or by giving them a call just to see how they are doing.

There are many different things we can do during this period of time. What I want to do with the time we have this morning is to take a look at several passages of Scripture that I think will be helpful in encouraging us to think about how we should be framing everything that is going on. The first passage of Scripture is found in the Gospel of John. You may know that Cross Connection Church is not really like a traditional liturgical church. We grew up going to a more liturgical church, a church that followed kind of an annual reading.

Passage through the Scriptures is significant, especially for more traditional churches, as this is the period of Lent right now. At Cross Connection Church, we don't talk about that so much, but during this time, there are weekly readings. This week's reading for the liturgy, being the fourth Sunday of Lent, is from the Gospel of John. Specifically, the Gospel reading for this week is John chapter 9.

As I was looking at that passage this week, I noticed that chapter 9, verse 1 says, "Now as Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from birth." His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."

I know that some people in our culture are saying this virus is the judgment of God because of our sin. The fact is, humanity has been sinful for a very long time, all the way since Genesis chapter 3. We live in a broken and fallen world, which is broken because of sin. Therefore, there is death, sickness, and viruses because we live in a broken world. However, what is happening in the world right now is not due to any new sin compared to 10 or 100 years ago; it is simply the manifestation of a broken world. I think it is wrong to say that this is the judgment of God.

In the midst of this, I believe God wants to work. His disciples asked in John chapter 9, verse 2, "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?" They thought that bad things happen to people because of their personal sin. Jesus clarified that this is not the case; rather, it is an opportunity for God to reveal His works.

I wonder what God wants to do in the midst of this situation. I am absolutely convinced that He wants to do great things. There are many people in our culture who are far from God and need the forgiveness, grace, peace, joy, and salvation that comes only through Jesus Christ. This current event is causing many people to reflect more on their relationship with God than they may have a month, two months, or even a year ago.

When the things we trust in are shaken—whether it be our job, bank account, government, or anything else—it forces us to examine our faith and our place with God.

For something that has real strength, security, and foundation, this really is an opportunity for us to reach out to family members, friends, co-workers, or neighbors who might be far from God and who might be very fearful, anxious, and freaked out in this whole situation. We can share something of the Lord with them. I believe God wants to do a work in us during this time, and I think He wants to do a work through us, through His church, during this period.

John chapter 9 is a really interesting passage of Scripture. It includes those words of Jesus in response to His disciples when they asked, "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?" Jesus replied, "No, but that the works of God would be revealed in him." That's why this has happened.

The second passage of Scripture comes from the Old Testament book of Isaiah, specifically Isaiah chapter 26. This chapter is particularly interesting because it follows the prophet Isaiah's prediction of a calamity that is going to come upon the entire world. Isaiah chapters 24 and 25 depict a global catastrophe, and we are living in the midst of something that is somewhat global and seems catastrophic in a number of ways. Isaiah 24 has some application to what is happening in the world.

In the midst of all of this, we read these words in Isaiah 26, verse 3. The prophet recognizes a really important truth that I have been returning to frequently over the last couple of weeks. Isaiah 26:3 says, "You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You because that person trusts in You." God will keep that person in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him because he trusts in Him.

Isaiah makes an application in the next verse, saying, "So trust in the Lord, for in the Lord is everlasting strength." As I mentioned just a few minutes ago, when people are going through tumultuous situations, they try to find something substantial. They seek a footing that they can really hold on to. There is no better rock than the rock we trust in, Jesus Christ. The prophet says, "You will keep him in perfect peace." Those words, "perfect peace," in the original language, were written in Hebrew.

It's the words, "Shalom, shalom." In ancient Hebrew, the way to emphasize something was to repeat it. The prophet says, "God will keep you in shalom, shalom," as your mind is stayed upon the Lord and as you trust in Him. So, trust in the Lord, for in the Lord is everlasting strength. I want to encourage you to commit that passage, Isaiah 26:3-4, to memory during this period of time. Spend some time thinking about it: "God, you will keep me in perfect peace as my mind is stayed on You as I trust in You. Trust in the Lord, for in the Lord is everlasting strength."

Now, let's turn to John chapter 9 and Isaiah chapter 26. The final passage I want to spend a few minutes on today is found in Philippians chapter 4, verses 4 through 9. If you have your Bible, you can open there with me. If you're watching on our live feed at live.lifeinconnection.com, there's a chat window on the left side of the screen, your right, and a section for the Bible where you can open up the scriptures.

Philippians chapter 4 has been a passage I keep returning to over the last few weeks as I've interacted with people and spent time by myself, thinking through the scriptures. It has come up frequently in conversations as well. This may be a familiar passage to you.

Beginning in verse 4, the Apostle Paul says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. The things which you have learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do. And the God of peace will be with you."

Before we get into this passage, would you bow in prayer with me for just a moment? Lord, I do pray that you would center our focus upon You and Your word in the remaining time we have.

Thank you for the time that we have together this morning. As we just considered that passage from Isaiah, "You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You." I know that right now our faith, our confidence, and our trust in You are being challenged by all the things that are going on. We find ourselves in a place where we are a little bit anxious, a little bit worried, and a little bit on edge. We so desire Your perfect peace.

I pray, God, that You, by Your Holy Spirit, would give us an extra measure of that perfect peace in the midst of challenging circumstances. We read in the book of Galatians, chapter 5, that one of the fruits of the Spirit is love, joy, and peace. I pray that You would speak Your peace over Your church and that You would give us Your peace during this period of time. Speak to us through this passage of Scripture in Philippians, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Philippians chapter 4, verses 4 through 9 is a passage of Scripture that I have been going back to quite a bit during this period of time. It is a passage that I have shared with literally hundreds of people over the years when I am praying with them or sitting down to talk with them about some of the challenging things they are going through as they walk through a trial.

In this passage, there are a number of things that stand out to me—four points that I think are really important for us to consider together today. The first one is this: this passage prescribes our rejoicing in all circumstances. When Paul says in Philippians chapter 4, verse 4, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice," this is the second time in the book of Philippians where he gives this kind of theme. If you just go one page to the left in Philippians chapter 3, verse 1, there Paul says, "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord."

So there is that exhortation again: rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but it is safe. This truth that Paul gives to the Philippian church is so important that he wraps up his letter by saying it two more times here in Philippians chapter 4, verse 4: "Rejoice in the Lord; again I say rejoice." The words used in Philippians 4:4, "rejoice" twice, are a command.

Paul is commanding the Christians in the city of Philippi to rejoice. This is not optional; it is a command. Since it is a command, I believe that it is possible even in the midst of difficult circumstances. The author of this letter, the Apostle Paul, was not in a joy-producing or joy-inducing situation when he wrote it. This letter is among the group of letters in the New Testament that we refer to as Paul's prison letters or his prison epistles. When he wrote this, he was in prison in the city of Rome, awaiting a trial. After that trial, when it was all concluded, he was not going to get out of prison; he was actually going to be executed. So, he was in a pretty dire situation when he wrote this letter.

He says to the Christians, who were also going through challenging things in Philippi, "Rejoice! I am commanding you to rejoice." Even in pressing circumstances, Paul could give this exhortation because he had learned a very important lesson. This lesson is found in the same chapter, Philippians chapter 4. If we skip down a few verses to verse 11, Paul says, "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

Even in trying circumstances, Paul could rejoice because he learned that he could do all things through Him who gives him strength. In verse 12 of Philippians chapter 4, another version of the English Bible states, "I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength."

We can rejoice even in difficult circumstances, but our rejoicing is not found in the circumstances themselves. We are not rejoicing in the coronavirus, in people losing their jobs, or in all the things that are going on around us. We rejoice in the Lord. The place where we find our joy and rejoicing is in the Lord. This is why it is so important to spend time with the Lord in prayer, in His Word, and in worship. There, we find our joy and rejoicing kindled, enabling us to fulfill this command.

The command to rejoice in the Lord is clear. The first point is that this passage prescribes our rejoicing in all circumstances. Secondly, this passage exhorts that our steadiness be evident to all. Where do I get that in the passage? I believe I get that from Philippians 4, verse 5. Paul says there, "Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand."

If you're one who takes notes in your Bible or you have your Bible open right now, you might want to circle that word "gentleness." This word is somewhat challenging for English translators of the Bible. There are all kinds of different Bible versions, and maybe you're not reading from the same version that I am. I have the New King James Version here this morning, but perhaps you're reading through the NIV, the English Standard Version, or the Christian Standard Bible. You'll notice that the word "gentleness" is translated differently in pretty much every English Bible. In some translations, it is "reasonableness"; in others, it is "gentleness" or "graciousness." There are many different ways that this word is translated.

What this clues us into is that the translators who worked on these English versions of the Bible had a hard time with this word. How should it be translated? In my study of this passage, I have read a lot of different commentaries, and I think one of the better ways to translate this is to read "let your gentleness be known to all men" as "have a reputation of steadiness."

So, here’s a simple question: Do you have a reputation for steadiness in the midst of trials and difficulties, or do outside circumstances affect you in a way that tosses you around? One of the dangers is that we can be those people who are tossed around very easily by the things that happen in this world. Paul says, "I want you to have a reputation for steadiness."

One of my prayers for you, as I have been praying for our church in the midst of this trial, is that God may grant us the ability to be steady in the storm. May we have strong ballast, if you will, a strong keel in the water as we go through the challenges.

So, to summarize, this passage prescribes our rejoicing in all circumstances. It exhorts that our steadiness be evident to all people. Point number three on your outline is that this passage commands our peace by persistent prayer.

It commands our peace by persistent prayer. Look at verses six and seven. They are pretty famous verses, if you will. They find their way onto bookmarks and greeting cards, and they really are a blessing. Paul says there, "Be anxious for nothing." It is a very simple command, but very hard to fulfill. Do not worry about anything. Every single one of us breaks this on a regular basis. However, I am absolutely convinced that God enables us to fulfill the very things that He commands. He does not give us commands in the Scripture that are impossible for us to fulfill.

The only way for us to fulfill those things is to do what He prescribes in the passage. We have this command to be at peace. We have a command to not be anxious in this passage. Then, He gives us the information about how we can fulfill this. In Philippians 4:6, it says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." The result? The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus.

Where does anxiety, worry, and distress happen? It happens in my mind. It happens in my heart. Paul here says that we can live at peace. We can live without all of the anxiety being tossed to and fro by following the steps that are given in this passage. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."

When Paul mentions prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving, making your requests to God, all of those four things are just different forms of prayer. It would be as if Paul says, "Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray, pray, pray, pray." As you do, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

The key to peace in the midst of any trial that we might face is prayer. Now, that might seem really simplistic to you. It may seem like I am just throwing out some quick little platitude. "Oh, you just need to pray." We have all heard Christians say that before when we are going through challenging circumstances, to the point that sometimes people almost get a little offended when we suggest, "Why don't we pray in the midst of this?" But the Scriptures teach this. The Scriptures teach that prayer, supplication, thanksgiving, and making our requests to God are essential.

Different forms of prayer bring the peace of God into our lives. Prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving—bringing our requests to God—are ways in which we set our minds upon the Lord. Isaiah 26:3 states that He will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him because he trusts in Him. This fulfills the exhortation of Paul in his letter to the Colossians, specifically Colossians 3:1, where he says to set your mind on things above.

As we set our minds on things above through prayer and thanksgiving, we reflect on all the things that God has done in the past and how He has met our needs. Supplication involves praying for His provision in the future. As we bring all of these things to the Lord, we experience God beginning to give us His perfect peace, which guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus—the very place where we deal with worry and anxiety.

This passage prescribes our rejoicing in all circumstances and exhorts us to have a steadiness that is evident to all people, regardless of the circumstances we face. It commands our peace through persistent prayer. Fourth and finally, this passage orders our attention to be fixed on those things that promote peace. We have seen that through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, as we let our requests be made known to God, we receive the peace of God and direct our attention to the Lord.

Paul instructs us to set our attention and order our focus on things that will promote our peace. In Philippians 4:8, he writes, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate upon these things." We are encouraged to focus our attention on these matters.

For many years, when the word "meditate" came up in Christian circles, people would often feel uneasy about it, as it conjured images of Eastern forms of meditation. Interestingly, in the last five to ten years, there has been a significant increase in people engaging in meditative practices, taking silence retreats, and using mindfulness applications on their cell phones. While some of these practices may have merit, it is essential that we meditate in the way that the Bible prescribes. Often, the way people meditate in our culture leads them to think that...

I need to remove everything from my mind, and I need to not think about anything and lose myself in meditative practice. However, that's not really what the Bible prescribes when it talks about meditation. Biblical meditation is really about thinking deeply and focusing your attention on something.

What exactly is biblical meditation? Well, if you know how to worry, you know how to meditate because worry is a form of meditation. Over the last ten days or so, you've actually been spending a lot of time in meditation, thinking about the coronavirus. You've been thinking deeply about it from every possible vantage point. How is it going to affect my family? How is it going to affect my business? How is it going to affect my 401(k), my investments? How is it going to affect this culture? How is it going to affect toilet paper sales? All these different things—how is it going to affect this stuff? You've been meditating a lot on the coronavirus, so much so that you are completely absorbed with it, or at least a lot of people are. It really absorbs our entire attention.

If you've worried about anything in your life or the coronavirus in the last ten days, then you have meditated. That meditation on the coronavirus will be distressing. It will destabilize your heart and your mind. It will cause you to have a hard time sleeping and will make you frustrated and impatient with other people. God wants to reorder my focus and my attention, as well as yours, so that we would experience more of His perfect peace.

The way to do that is to start thinking more about those things that are lovely, true, noble, good, praiseworthy, and of good report—focusing your attention and really thinking about those things. All of these things really describe the nature of God. I guarantee you, based upon what the Scriptures say, that if you will fix your attention and meditate upon these things that are noble, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous, and praiseworthy, then you will experience the peace of God.

Not only will you experience the peace of God, but notice the last verse in this text, verse 9 of Philippians 4: "The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me." The Philippian church had seen Paul do the very things that he's talking about here. They had seen him pray. They had seen him meditate upon the Scriptures. So he says, "The things that you have learned from me, by example, these do, and the God..."

Of peace will be with you. We move from the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, which guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, to the God of peace. The more you get to know the peace of God by spending time with the Lord in meditation, the more you will draw near to the God of peace, and He will draw near to you.

At the very least, I hope that one of the outcomes of all the chaos happening from coronavirus in 2020 will be you and I drawing closer to the God of peace and experiencing His peace in a greater capacity. Here’s one of the awesome things: not only will that be good for you, your kids, and your other family members, but your experience of knowing the peace of God and drawing near to the God of peace will give you an opportunity to share the peace of God and the God of peace with other people. There are many people we know who don’t know God, and as a result, they have very little ultimate eternal hope and peace in the midst of storms.

When their world comes apart, as it has been in 2020, their entire psyche destabilizes, and they look for a place to find joy, peace, and hope. If you’re a Christian, we have all of those things in Christ Jesus. We have a huge evangelistic opportunity, church, to share the peace of God and the God of peace with a culture that desperately needs Him. I would suggest that coronavirus is reminding people of how shallow and unstable things are in this life. They begin to look for something with much more substance and foundation, which can only be found with God and His kingdom.

I pray that you would be encouraged by these things and that you would spend some time not meditating upon the news or the information coming across on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Instead, I hope you would meditate upon the God of peace, and that the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, would guard your heart during this time.

Would you pray with me? Father, I do pray for us, Your people, for the church of God. I ask that You would do a work in us where we would have a hunger and thirst for spending time with You in Your Word, in prayer, and in worship.

Even if we can't do that with other people within the body of Christ, we can do that with our families. I just pray, God, that during this period of time, you would draw us close to you and that this drawing near to you would really pay dividends in a huge way. We would experience exactly what the Scriptures say we will experience: your peace that surpasses understanding.

So, God, would you guard the hearts and minds of your church as we walk through these challenging situations? Would you use your church to be a light, like a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden, to those who are walking through these challenges without hope and without peace from you? Do a work in your church, we pray. We pray this in Jesus' name.

Now may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and the love of God and of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. May the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

I hope that you will continue to tune in with us here at Cross Connection Church. If you want updates about some of the things that are happening, make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel at youtube.lifeandconnection.com. You can continue to come back to this channel, live.lifeandconnection.com, on Sundays, beginning at nine in the morning. We will continue to broadcast live here as long as we need to. Hopefully, we can gather together as a church soon. I hope that we can gather for Palm Sunday in just a couple of weeks and Easter in a few weeks. It's hard to believe that we're already there.

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God bless you. If you need prayer, make sure you send us an email to prayer@lifeandconnection.com. I know we've got a lot of different things that we're giving to you, but I hope that you will reach out to us so that we can be praying for you. God bless you.