Weekly Update// Pastor Will

Hi friends, 

   This past Sunday during the Celebration Service I wore a shirt that garnered more questions and conversations than any other piece of clothing I’ve worn in a while. Sometimes I get a comment or two about my tie if it has flowers or something else brightly colored. Now and then I get comments on my socks because I like to have fun with my sock choice, because, why not? However, this shirt didn’t have any flowers, or bright colors. Really, the main talking point was four letters across the chest of the shirt, “YNWA.” I had a few people guess that maybe it was a Greek word or some other language. The shirt I was wearing was for Liverpool Football Club based in Liverpool, England, home of The Beatles, and the letters represent the club motto, You’ll Never Walk Alone, which can be applied to much more than soccer, or any sport for that matter.   

   Liverpool is a club or team that was formed in 1892 and has a decorated history, especially in the 1970s. They haven’t always been a fun team to watch, even though it has been fun lately, but the club culture is what made me fall in love. At the beginning and end of every match, they sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” the Gerry and the Pacemakers version at full voice. Although I’ve seen Liverpool play in the US a couple of times and the song was sung, I’ve heard there is nothing like it at their home stadium in England, which I hope to hear for myself one day. And like any good pastor, it’s easy to see the theological implications this song and motto represent. 

The main theme from the song is this idea that we will never be alone, no matter the circumstances, and to hold onto that hope even in the darkest times. The club sings this song almost as a pledge to one another and to be there for one another. As the church, this should be our pledge to one another as well. Since we heard from Pastor Chris that the church is not a building, but the people, one of our primary goals as the church is to be there for one another, especially as we see ourselves as the “body of Christ” that Paul talks of in 1 Corinthians. If one part is suffering, we should all do what we can to lift that part up and provide relief in any way we can. 

   We can also hold onto hope knowing God is with us as well, both in the valleys and the peaks. This is something that can stabilize us when everything around us may feel like it is falling apart. I found this to be most comforting to a lot of the patients I visited during my chaplaincy at UNC hospital, knowing that they were not alone, and God was with them. I learned a lot from those patients because it was easy to overlook God being with me in my own life. As we go about our days, some of the greatest news is knowing God is with us, especially as we look toward our Advent season when God came to us in human form.  

  I pray that you all have a blessed weekend and look forward to being with you all in worship on Sunday as we kick off our Stewardship Campaign based on John Wesley’s principles for money, “Earn, Save, Give”. See you then! 

 Be Blessed, 

Pastor Will