04 Jun The Hour Has Come…

What time is it? More importantly, what day is it?

Well, for starters, I am certain that whatever the day, it ends in y. No need to thank me, I threw that in free of charge. 🙂

I don’t know about you, but the aforementioned questions cross my mind and are spoken around the House of Brown daily as the seconds, minutes, days, weeks, and now months tick by, becoming far-distant blurs and moments in time.

One moment, it’s spring break… and the next moment, it’s now summer.

How did we get here?

Well, that’s for sure a loaded question certain to conjure up a myriad of answers. Some good. Some bad, and likely everything in between.

Nevertheless, no matter where our hearts land in answering this question — regardless of any aspect or season of life, we can trust that God is preparing us for something to reach, connect, and serve someone, if not a group of people. And it’s likely that something is far bigger than the sum total of the parts of preparation.

When I reflect upon how we got to this very moment as a church, I see more clearly how God was preparing me, but even more so Mosaic, for such a time as this.

Let’s step back to early 2019 (squint and close those eyes to remember) when our video feed in our then Family Room was “fuzzy vision”, to say the least. The vision at that moment in time for that room was simply to provide a clearer video image for all to see and experience the presence of Jesus.

Nearly one year and many tvs, rooms, cameras, a live production team, and a livestream rig later, we stumbled, learned, and progressed towards realizing a reasonable online experience should we ever need it for any reason.

Well, 11 1/2 weeks ago, the hour came that any reason showed up by way of COVID-19, and in a matter of days, we went from meeting collectively as the physical church to that of the digital church. And here we are: having journeyed from four walls to and through screens, to the ends of the earth.

This journey has taken countless hours of work, resources, and relationships to master and further improve each week, with many more hours to invest as we upgrade the infrastructure in anticipation of gathering onsite together.

Truth be told, God’s grace abounding towards us in great measure is allowing Mosaic to grow and thrive in continuing our corporate worship for all to experience the presence of Jesus.

And while the physical doors of the facility are locked (for now), our hearts have only opened all the more to draw near to God towards reaching, connecting, and serving a multigenerational, multiethnic people across the globe.

What simply started as providing a clearer video image for all to experience the presence of Jesus within the four walls of the then family, now overflow room, God was preparing us, nonetheless, to be a light on a hill as we live through the effects of COVID-19 and the longstanding atrocities of racism.

So… Where do we go from here? When will everything open back up? Will we have to wear masks forever? When will I go back to work? What will my next assignment be? What will the new church experience be like? When will I be able to travel and vacation again, if ever? What will school be like when it opens back up? When will COVID-19 end? Will the hashtags ever end? When will racism end? When will justice be served once and for all? When will this hour end? What will the next hour be like?

These questions (and a plethora more) we all desire to know to a certain extent. We want answers. And the frustrating truth of life is…sometimes we get them, and sometimes we don’t.

Even as I type this very hour with my own endless list of what’s, why’s, when’s, where’s and how’s, here’s how I’ve learned to handle all my heart’s questions, when I don’t get the answers:

I fervently aim and recenter my heart with and in God’s word, hoping and trusting with all I’ve got that God is preparing me (and you too!) for something within, yet greater than the confining four walls of our homes and hearts.

He’s preparing us, the beautiful body of Christ, to be image bearers to a hurting and broken world in this dark hour of social upheaval that heaven may come to earth for all to experience the presence of Jesus.

So why all the waiting? I guess you could say in the Kingdom of God, the waiting is really all about preparation.

In this hour, I hope and pray you are trusting that God is preparing you, me, and us to be the light of the world for good and holy works that He may draw all men, women and children from across the globe to His glory.

Oh yeah, just a reminder that today’s y is Thursday. 😉

Alvin