WATCHWORD:
This is the day the Lord has made,
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24. Amen.
The Beginning:
The email I sent out that Saturday, March 21st, was technically the first Watchword mailing. It went to just a small group – the 20 men from eight different congregations that made up the “Men in Mission” Bible study group, which I had long been a member of.
We felt that – for what we then thought would be “the next couple of weeks” – it was important to honor the stay-at-home directive. But we still needed the support we extend to one another through our prayers and personal contact, which had always been the power of our group. The mailings gave us a way to do that.
The email network was – and still remains – dedicated to three points of inspiration and support:
BIBLE READINGS – Scripture and commentary that touched the Spirit of the Lord within you this morning.
SHARING – If you get inspired, write a Meditation, or share a blessing.
PRAYER – Praying for one another each morning, and offering prayers for guidance and strength for ourselves, our community, and our world. We all need those prayers.
As we opened the network to a wider group through online signup, we moved away from sharing people’s personal details, but continued to share their thoughts and contributions. Everyone was invited to share. “If you have inspirational stories, poems, prayers, etc., you have found helpful during this time, please share these with us,” I wrote, and many did. The invitation remains open.
“Let’s see how this works out and if it is helpful,” I wrote – never imagining that as the end of 2020 came and went, we would still be at it. May the Lord bless us and keep us. Amen.
Stan
