Love One Another. Wash Your Hands.
That’s what the sign said. And I think it’s just about perfect.
For the last three days, I’ve been in Decatur meeting with the CBF Discovery Team, continuing our work in discerning a bold future as a denominational body. Our meetings have been hosted by Decatur’s First Baptist Church, where the marquee in front of the church says it all:
Love One Another. Wash Your Hands.
As anxieties continue to rise about the spread of the Coronavirus, it is important that we remember who we are, and why we are here. We are the body of Christ, called to embrace one another and a wounded world with the radical love of God.
But, while we’re at it… wash your hands!
And all the Enneagram Sixes said, “Amen!”
This past Sunday, my message was focused on how to love the Six in your life. The Six (or, Loyalist) is troubled by what feels like a whirlwind of fear and anxiety in their minds all the time. Some of those fears are warranted. Many are not.
In loving sixes, it does no good to simply tell them “don’t worry,” or “get over it.”
Sixes will tell you it’s not that easy. But what you CAN do is meet them in their fear, and validate their anxiety. In so doing, it makes it easier for them to hear (and believe) their healing message: “You are safe.”
So, in a season when anxieties are real (as with the Coronavirus), it is important to reassure one another with what we are doing to remain safe.
At JCBC, our amazing facilities staff has been working hard to give extra attention to sanitizing our gathering spaces. Door handles, restrooms, water fountains, table surfaces, offering plates, pew and chair backs are all being cleaned with extra care. In addition, we will be providing anti-bacterial liquids at strategic locations around campus.
If you were with us on Sunday, you noticed we have already begun to modify our interactions by fist bumping during our greeting, and connecting elbows during our benediction. As we continue to monitor the public situation, we will continue to adapt where needed.
In the meantime, we will love one another…and wash our hands.
Have I told you lately how much I love being your pastor?
Shaun
Dr. Shaun King
Senior Pastor
Johns creek Baptist Church
