Remodeling Job

I try to stay informed. I truly do. I try to stay informed about the edgy issues of climate collapse and racism and how the heck Carson Wentz is gonna pull it together and get the Eagles out of their slump. I try to stay informed about the candidates and about the status of my mail-in ballot for the upcoming election. I try to stay informed about the latest numbers posted on the Covid dashboards of Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and Moravian College, and the Bethlehem Area School District. I try to stay informed about how all of the people in my orbit are getting along—church family, family-family, extended church family, 1103 Facebook contacts, actual neighbors, and who-knows-how-many flesh-and-blood friends. I try to stay informed about controlling spotted lantern flies, questionable charges on my credit card summary, how to eat more plant-based foods, and which plastics I’m allowed to contribute to our current recycling program.

When my mind needs a respite from trying to stay informed, there’s HGTV. Similar to the way watching televised golf affects me, having HGTV on provides the background hum that allows my brain to shift into neutral for a while. It calms me down, chills me out, and cheers me up.

While there is something vicariously satisfying about seeing others swing sledgehammers into drywall, or cut tile with a wet saw, what soothes me greatly is the message of hopefulness inherent in every program. Whether it’s a show about house hunting in Houston or renovating a property in Providence, every episode progresses from confusion to clarity, from chaos to coherence. All of the jumbled mess gets sorted out, all of the challenges get resolved. Oh, to allow any of these celebrity designers or realtors the run of my household. The run of my existence. Aaaahhhh. It’s a lovely fantasy.

Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives.  Colossians 3:16

Even more promising, though, is this recommendation offered in an ancient letter that still holds timeless: be generous in your square footage allowances for having Jesus’ intentions in your life. Have enough closet space for his teachings. Furnish the place with compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline, even-temperedness, forgiveness, and love. Organize around the priorities of peace and gratitude. Allow the life you inhabit to be a custom creation of the Creator. (See Colossians 3: 12-17).

The well-being that comes from having Christ inhabit heart and mind is what allows for all other chunks of information to be checked at the reclaimed, hand-stained, timber-framed front door. The news, the data, the anecdotes, the opinions, the statistics, the lore, the memories, the details—every bit of it should be allowed over the threshold only if it is in keeping with the one who has the run of the house.

Remembering to Wipe My Feet,

Pastor Chris

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Join us in the parking lot of College Hill Moravian Church every Sunday morning where you may praise God from the safe bubble of your own vehicle. The service, broadcast from the church sanctuary and transmitted through your car’s radio, begins at 10:00 a.m. and lasts approximately 40 minutes. Attendants are on hand to make sure you have worship materials, receive your offerings, and help you find the best place to park. Smile and wave and worship!

Virtual Fellowship Time on Zoom – Sundays at 11:30 a.m.

This casual online gathering has taken root over the last few months and become a wonderful way to keep connected. Whether you’ve become a “regular” at these gatherings, or you’re thinking about dropping by for the very first time, please use the Zoom link and password provided below, or join by phone if you do not use a device with a screen.

And if Zoom is new to you and you’d like to be coached on how to get started, please email me at  moravianpastorchris@gmail.com  or call me at 484-894-9077.

To join by computer, tablet or smart phone, please go to:

Passcode: 789162

To join by phone (no video), dial:

+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)

Meeting ID: 998 3134 7702  

Zoom Prayers–Sundays at 6:30 p.m.

We are also continuing to offer Zoom Prayers on Sunday evenings at 6:30. We come together to share simply in intercessory prayer on behalf of our congregation, community, and world. We usually conclude by 7:00 p.m. All are welcome! 

To join by computer, tablet, or smart phone, please go to: 

Passcode: 073131

To join by phone (no video), dial:

+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)

  Meeting ID: 919 6174 3369