Reflection During Days of Social Distancing

January 21st,

Sisters and brothers as we continue into this new year and COVID-19 mutates into new strains, we can find ourselves frightened and overwhelmed. I think about this virus as an invasive lifeform seeking to take over our world (yes, I realize this sounds like a sci-fi novel!). Indeed, many lives have been lost to this virus and many more will succumb before enough of us have been vaccinated or have the anti-bodies to form herd immunity.

Yet, researchers keep finding ways to stave off the virus; to remove it from air-filtering systems, giving us paths to engaging safely in our workplaces and public buildings. LIGHT, specifically UV Light has been found to remove the virus from doing its harm. UV light shone into schools, offices, airplanes, buses, and hospital rooms has been proven to destroy the virus.

Jesus had something to say about the power of light over darkness. John 1:5 tells us, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light.” This verse fills me with hope as I deepen my awareness that God’s love, in Christ, is a light defeating that which seeks to smother this glorious world with hatred, evil, deceit, and cruelty. Light shines into this sort of wrong and like a UV ray of light, cancels it out.

Friends, we are called to be light. One of our blessed opportunities in this life is to shine God’s love into the systems and places where cruelty and meanness abounds. We get to be UV Lights for God’s sake in this world!

Light always needs a source! Our source is God, Christ, Holy Spirit and the beauty of Scripture, Nature, and many other ways God empowers us. May we be connected to our Source, so we shine like UV light into the places that seek to extinguish light and love in this world. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Darkness can not drive our darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only Love can do that.” Go, be light and Love!

Welcome to Garfield Park Baptist Church! Thank you for visiting our website! We are an urban church that welcomes all! Come check us out; bring your questions, doubts, certainties and open hearts and minds! We’ll talk and ponder together!

Wondering what to expect when you visit our church?

When you worship at Garfield Park Baptist, you’ll find a vibrant group of people diverse in education and income levels, theological perspectives, and age -yet united by God’s love! Our worship gatherings at 9:30 a.m. contain both traditional and praise music, prayers, Bible readings, thoughts for personal reflection, and preaching.

We are an American Baptist church, called by God, to create a community that works together to empower people to be the best version of themselves they can be and that God wants them to be. We seek to bring God’s light to the park through compassion, prayer, and living into our God-given purpose.

Please take a moment to browse our website and discover who we are! You will learn about our worship, spiritual growth opportunities, and ministries such as food pantry, community meal, Youth group, choir, game night, and various small group options.