Fall worship and our new normal

I love this time of year. We have made it through the hot summer days, and we begin to return to a sense of normalcy we have not known in quite some time. So many of our routines were disrupted by the pandemic.

Now, by the grace of God, we are in a different place. What will this new normal look like? What will we retain from the lessons learned in the pandemic? What will we be quick to discard?

I have read so many articles on the Church post-pandemic. Many wonder if we will ever return to what was. I am greatly encouraged, and I hear the reminder of Isaiah 43, where God declares that He is doing a new thing. In that chapter, the prophet recounts all the things that God had done in the past. And then we read these words:

“But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?” (Isaiah 43:18,19)

“Make this a new season in your life and in the life of your family. Reengage with us in worship and service to the glory of God! God is doing a new thing to the glory of His name!”
– Rev. Wally Johnson

God is doing a new thing here at First Church Tulsa. We experienced the joy of so many baptisms and the thrill of seeing our young disciples grow in their faith. We move into a new season in the Church's life, which brings with it new elements in the area of pastoral care. We will begin a new program called Pathways to Hope in the Psalms of Lament, a short grief support class designed to help us walk alongside any experiencing loss or grief of any kind.

God calls us to bear one another’s burdens, and that only happens in community.