In my last email to you before I left on vacation three weeks ago, I updated you all on the process Covenant Church used to restart our church services in 2020 after COVID hit our country. That process also led to the start of Tina’s Woo Hoo It’s Wednesday message and my TGIF message in August 2020. Today I have chosen to share with you the original TGIF message that I sent out to you all on August 28, 2020. I hope you enjoy this original message! Next week, I will also repeat my first Labor Day message (my second TGIF), and then we will get back to our usual messages.
TGIF – August 28, 2020
TGIF was a common and popular acronym over the past 30 to 40 years. Do you remember this acronym? Do you remember what it stands for???? TGIF stands for Thank Goodness It’s Friday. People said it often as they looked forward to the end of the work week, and to a change of pace for the weekend – to unwind, rest, and recover. The weekend might include more time with family, a day at the beach, sporting events, working on home projects, mowing the lawn, going to dinner with friends, resting, and attending church.
I admit to not having heard TGIF in the past six months. Of course, many people in my circle of acquaintances are retired so TGIF might have a different meaning to them. However, even my children and their spouses who are blessed to still have their jobs and others I know with jobs are less likely to say TGIF. I believe that is because many people feel in a rut today, even those who still have their jobs. Many people with jobs are working harder than ever, many even having to now work weekends. Those without jobs are like those of us who are retired in this new coronavirus world – it is hard to tell Monday from Friday, Tuesday from Saturday, and Thursday from Sunday.
The weekend now does not offer sporting events and many other activities that used to provide relaxation and relief to people after a hard week of work (or busy retirement !). Even many churches have still not reopened! I believe Covenant has been blessed by being one of the first churches in our area to reopen on June 7 and have had services every Sunday since except for one Sunday in early August when there was a threat from a tropical storm passing by Florida. Our Sunday service has provided a refuge for 15-22 people each week who want to share in God and feel His presence in their church home, and are comfortable attending. We understand the feelings of others not comfortable attending church yet and even leaving their homes at all.
Ever since COVID began and we had to close our church, we began a Wednesday message to replace our Wednesday night Bible study. We have continued that message even after we reopened Covenant Church for our Sunday services especially to provide a continuing message for those still not able to return to Covenant.
To that end, we have decided to add a second weekly message for now, the Friday message. It will be meant to remind you of the importance of TGIF – to unwind, rest, and recover from a different but still difficult week. We hope and pray that these two weekly messages can provide you hope and inspiration and draw you closer to God while we continue to deal with this difficult time in our lives. Here is some scripture that might strengthen you today – TGIF!!!
Isaiah 40:29 – He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Romans 12:12 – Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Galatians 6:9 – And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Romans 8:25 – But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Ephesians 4:2 – With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.
James 1:4 – Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.