Hosanna Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod

March 20, 2020

Dear saints of Hosanna,

Things have changed. That’s an understatement. We’re in unchartered territory. The drastic measures being requested by our nation are unlike anything we have ever seen. Now, more than ever, we will need the Church, and specifically all the spiritual resources the Lord gives us through the Church, starting this Sunday 3/22.

I am convinced that as we go through this, God’s reason for establishing His Church will become even more obvious. Namely, this is how He communicates with us as a congregation. Therefore, it’s not merely a social gathering. And the first thing He is telling us, “Do not be afraid. I created this world. I know how to run it. I know you are my children because of my Son’s sacrifice, and I will run it so that you will benefit in the long run. Furthermore, I will make sure you get what you need to face the challenges that lie ahead.”

That means we will make sure you can keep getting His Word and Sacrament. Because we want to be good neighbors, though, we will follow the government’s recommendations as closely as possible. We will practice social distancing. That means we will maintain at all times the six feet from those who are not of our own household. I know for some of us this will be difficult, but this is part of the bitter pill we must swallow for the sake of our neighbor. As a meme I had seen said, “The Divine Service is not a social event.” It’s one of the perks, but that’s not its purpose; it’s so the Lord can feed us. Another recommendation concerns the number of people gathered. As we understand it, it’s 10 or less, but a household ought to be considered as a person. That’s because the members of a household are already not maintaining social distance. So, if we are talking about “households,” we will be very close to observing the 10 or less rule.

Our fellowship and Bible Studies will be postponed until further notice. I’m anticipating two weeks. Two weeks is the magic number because once we have made social distancing our practice with those outside of our household (as well as outside our congregation), then we will have two weeks to see if any of us have been exposed. If we have no cases in our congregation, we will be able to consider what other activities we might be able to restore.

At the point of sending this letter, it does not look like we will have midweek services. Bethlehem has suspended offering the Divine Service for a couple weeks, but they hope to be able to offer it again by Palm Sunday. When they do, they are looking to use an abbreviated order of service, but with the Sacrament.

Speaking of the abbreviated service, that is what we will be using. We will follow the order of service I use when I visit shut-in members. We will still celebrate the Sacrament, but we will do it as a continuous line, and we will take extra precaution in sanitation before distribution. Until further notice, we will suspend the use of the chalice. Music will be minimal and basically acapella (without accompaniment). We will start the service by praying the Litany, a prayer that is very fitting for our times.

We are a small congregation, and that works to our favor. I’m looking at developing more of an internet presence like the bigger congregations are doing, but we can make sure we can get all the spiritual resources to our people. For that, I thank God. In fact, we thank God for all of this, because no matter what happens, we know our Father has taken it in hand and promised only blessings for His children—even if they don’t appear to be blessings.

The Lord grant you peace in these uncertain times,

Pastor

Rumors of Hosanna being for sale?  The CHURCH is not for sale, but the land/building is listed.  We are looking towards the future and planning.  Don't be duped by rumors-stop by and see the exciting things happening at our "little church"!