Church of the Messiah will hold in person live service again on January 2nd, 2022, to celebrate the Second Sunday after Christmas.  After having some member of the parish test positive for COVID-19 the week before Christmas, Fr. Looker, in consensus with the Rector’s Council made the decision to hold all of Church of the Messiah’s services for the following weekend in a “virtual only” format and streamed them on Church of the Messiah’s Facebook page.  Thanks be to God, all who were ill are recovering. Now Fr. Looker has made the decision, again in consensus with the Rector’s Council, to return to live in person services for the upcoming weekend.

Of course, the situation with COVID remains uncertain so we ask the following:

  • Anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 quarantine for the appropriate amount of time;
  • Anyone who feels ill or has any cough or cold symptoms remains home;
  • Anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has either tested positive for COVID or been ill remain home;
  • That those who remain home continue to worship with us online via our live stream on our Facebook page.

Our guiding Scripture from March 2019 throughout this entire season has remained 2 Timothy 1:7, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and a sound mind.”  That verse continues to govern us today.  Members of the congregation will most certainly not agree with each other entirely in the matter.  Some will decide to stay home; others will come to church in person.  Of those who come in person, some will decide to wear masks in the congregation; others will choose not to wear masks.  We will, in all cases, respond in love to those make decisions differently than our own and not judge others.  We will remember, of course, that God calls us to love everyone and not just those whose decisions match ours exactly.

We trust that, as so many blights have over the ages, COVID-19 too shall pass and some time sooner rather than later we will be able to move beyond all of this.  Until then, we are grateful for everyone’s charity and flexibility in continuing to bear with each other and worship with one other.

Church of the Messiah’s in person service for the Second Sunday after Christmas will begin at 10 o’clock on Sunday, January 2nd, at 3754 University Club Blvd. and will be live streamed on Church of the Messiah’s Facebook Page.