Welcome to our weekly online Port Ann Wesleyan youth lesson. We hope you are faring well during “new norm” for the time being.
If you have a need of any kind — prayer, physical, emotional, financial, etc. — please don’t hesitate to reach out to Michelle and I and we will do what we can to help or find the appropriate resources for you. You can email us directly by clicking here or call/text Michelle (570-495-3740) or John (570-847-2718).
Kicking things off with a Rend Collective song that should be familiar to everyone from their AWANA days and from us sharing it in youth in the past, too. It should also be familiar to those who did last week’s lesson because I accidentally shared it when I meant to use “Build your Kingdom Here.” Sorry! (It is fixed now)
If you have missed our previous Wednesday installments, you can catch up here:
April 15, 2020: Absorbing the truth
April 9, 2020: Preparation over procrastination
April 1, 2020: Standing up in the midst of a storm
March 25, 2020: What route do our roots run?
March 18, 2020: God’s calm guidance during a coronavirus craze
Please remember our extended church family members who are on the front lines of the fight vs. COVID-19 need to continue being at the forefront of our prayer lists and include Beth and Russell Jordan, Abby Faulhaber, Deb Angelo, Ned Campbell, Nicole Hoover, Brittany Keister, Brooke Keister, Joleen Keister, Wanda Keister, Barry Kuhns, Ryan Long, Sarah Russell, Jerry Rute, Tasha Rute, Jason Shaffer, Crystal Shambach, Ruth Smith, Michael Sprenkel and Starla Wagner.
As those who are on the prayer chain probably heard, Wayne Holden passed away over the weekend. A small graveside service is planned tomorrow by Deb Holden (daughter of Ruby Kratzer) tomorrow (Thursday) for a few family members. Please keep this family in prayer.
Austin’s mom was discharged from the Altoona hospital on Sunday and was staying with us until Monday night when she had more breathing issues and was admitted to Evangelical Hospital via their ER to have more fluid removed. She is doing better and we are assuming she will be discharged soon.
Please continue to pray for the other regular needs we share regularly, including the unspoken requests. Many of those situations are still ongoing or on hold due to the quarantine (like investigation into Jason and Jeremy’s previous symptoms).
Take a few moments to watch this video (it actually runs like 10 hours … you don’t need to watch it that long!)
I assume not many of our group have ever experienced what it is like being on a boat in the ocean at night during a bad storm. We can imagine it, and I suspect it would be similar to what is in the video above … with the added concern of bouncing around on the top of the waves.
I think that would be terrifying — not knowing how long the storm was going to last, nothing around to use as a vantage point to get your bearings. At least on land we have trees, mountains, buildings, etc. to tell us where we are in uncertain times. Imagine being on a boat with no idea of exactly where you are … and no warning signs for potentially boat-sinking rock structures or coastlines.
Doesn’t it feel, at times, that we are kind of in a similar situation with the coronavirus? We all hope that it is over soon, but there is no real end in sight just yet. We aren’t sure where the dangers lie as we try to navigate the storm — the guy standing near us at Wal-Mart could be a threat. Everything feels upside down, the waves keep rolling in and the things we normally use to keep our bearings (attending church in person, enjoying fellowship during youth group, etc.) are missing.
At sea, the power of a lighthouse is critical for ships trying to safely make it through a storm. It marks the coastline, signals potential rocky dangers and gives captains a point of bearing when everything else is unstable.
There is a painting that I found years ago while working at the group home for adolescents that depicts a lighthouse in a storm with Jesus’ outstretched arms on either side. Here is a version of it:
One consistency I’ve noticed in every stormy lighthouse photo or painting I’ve seen — the lighthouse itself is being battered by the waves just as much — if not more — than the other elements in the image. Yet it stands strong, the light unwavering. Makes me think of Jesus’ unwavering sacrifice in the midst of His crucifixion for each of us. He took the punishment to guide us safely home.
I have recently shared the story of Jesus calming the storm and rebuking his disciples for their lack of faith in a trying time. It is a message worth repeating as we continue to bounce around the waves indefinitely.
However, another pertinent verse — this one found in the Old Testament — can be found in Isaiah 54:10:
Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor My covenant of peace be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
I know I personally have found myself humming and singing Rend Collective’s “My Lighthouse” song quite a bit lately. Keeping our bearings during such a storm is critical to getting out the other side intact. We have talked previously about the importance of reading the Bible and praying regularly as a way to stay on track. I also value good Christian songs. They seem to intervene and give us a short break from the chaos.
On Sunday after Michelle and I picked up Cindy near Altoona, the two of them drove Cindy’s vehicle home while I followed in another car. I had plugged in my phone and streamed a bunch of songs through the speakers. It was pretty loud, and I drove for stretches with the windows down as the music and the message surrounded me and lifted my spirits quite a bit. The playlist included a bunch of Casting Crowns songs, some Rend Collective and a variety of other artists — even a short blaring of Skillet’s “Invincible” that I’m pretty sure the speakers are still recovering from.
While driving through Lewistown with the windows open, I passed someone walking on the street who seemed sad and frustrated about something. Rend Collective’s “My Lighthouse” was playing at that moment, and for a brief second where this guy could hear the music, he stopped and his face softened. I have no idea if he knew the song or understood the message. However, watching him fade in the rearview mirror, it was obvious the song impacted him. He started walking and stood a little straighter. He seemed a little less miserable.
Let’s continue to encourage each other as much as we can. I’d like to, within the next week, create a post on our church website with our youth group’s favorite song videos. Pieces that help lift us up when things aren’t going well, or that help tie us back into the Lord when we need it most. Please message us in the next couple days with links to the songs you most appreciate and that help you weather the storm.
Together, let’s be lighthouses for others who are wandering in the stormy darkness of current events.
To wrap up, a few songs that come to mind. MercyMe’s “Even If” reminds us that as much as we’d like to call the shots, the most important thing we can ask God is for Him to work His will in our troubling situations:
And Unspoken’s “Reason.” I love the symbolism used in the video, as we talked about back during in-person youth groups, but the lyrics are even more impactful, especially now:
This year’s felt like four seasons of winter
And you’d give anything you think to feel the sun
Always reaching always climbing
Always second guessing the timing
But God has a plan a purpose in this
You are His child so don’t you forget
He put that hunger in your heart
He put that fire in your soul
His love is the reason
To keep on believing
When you feel like giving up
When you feel like giving in
His love is the reason
To keep on believing
