New COVID-19 restructions

Posted by occwebsite
16th Apr 2021

Today the province of Ontario announced that:

  • The emergency stay-at-home order for an additional 2 weeks.
  • Outdoor gatherings are restricted to only immediate family.
  • Only essential construction is allowed.
  • 25% capacity for businesses that are allowed to open.
  • Worship gathering are restricted to 10 people starting Monday.
  • Interprovincial traffic will be stopped, only goods can cross the border.

OCC services

OCC will be meeting in person, as well as the service being available online, this Sunday (18 April). All the times & links are posted on our home page.

Next Sunday (25 April) and until the order is lifted, we will only be meeting online.

After more than a year of this pandemic, we get new restrictions and new prohibitions.

  • We’re tired, exhausted, worn out.
  • We have suffered loss and disappointments over this past year, for some, it has been great loss.
  • All that many want is for things to go back to the way they were.
  • And each day that seems less and less likely.

I’d love to be able to say, that in 6 or 8 or 12 weeks, we will be able to get back to normal. But I don’t think that’s going to happen.

I am more and more convinced that longing for some past sense of normal is an incredible waste of time:

  • yes, we want to be able to connect with family and friends in person;
  • yes, we want to be able to eat out
  • yes, we want to be healthy
  • yes, we want to gather – for worship, weddings, funerals

But none of that is going to happen until after a high percentage of people are vaccinated.

 

But that isn’t why I’m writing this.

What I want us to know today is this:

Whatever new regulations are passed, when new laws come down, the Apostle Paul reminds us in Galatians 5 that there are some things against which there is no law. Today, we heard of some new restrictions.

We are also going to hear some people call for exercising our freedom by protesting, by refusing to obey the new regulations, which at this point is irresponsible and wrong.

As Christians, we need to exercise our freedom.

Our freedom to live out love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Those are the things against which there is no law.
This is what it looks like to live as one who is truly free.

This season presents us with many challenges but also many opportunities. We need to support each other in faithfully following Jesus, our God-given mission.