Hi, friend! Welcome! It’s a little over a week before Easter, and for my family and I, it’s going to probably be the first time we can’t go to the Easter Sunday gathering at my church. Why? The coronavirus. 

When I was writing my email newsletter for this month, I realized something. We shouldn’t be focusing on what we can’t do, we should be focusing on what we can. We can’t stop the coronavirus, we can’t force there to be gatherings at church, we can’t make things change. The reality is, we can’t do a lot of things.

But God can.

This doesn’t mean He will, but it does mean that everything is in control and everything is in His hands. That shouldn’t be scary, it should be comforting. God isn’t some King that does whatever He pleases, He is good, and He knows all and has a plan.

So today I’m going to talk about what you can do during Sundays and Easter during these times. The list may be longer than you think!

You Can Still Worship

Recently my family has been looking up lyric videos on Youtube on Sundays and singing songs together. It’s actually really fun. Sure, we’re not all professional singers and don’t sound great all the time, but it’s not about how you sound, it’s about glorifying God.

Personally I feel more comfortable singing in larger groups (like church) because I don’t like to be heard as much and don’t like to stick out. If you’re like me, just remember why you’re doing this. It’s for God. God loved the world so much that He sent His only son to die for us (John 3:16), doesn’t He deserve some praise?

All you have to do is find some of your favorite songs, sit down with your family and sing them together. You may find it to be more fun than you first imagined!

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.

Philippians 4:4

You Can Still Pray

You can take prayer in several different directions, and it’s really up to you how you go about it. However, I have a few tips if you’d like ideas or don’t know where to start.

1. Pray as a family.

This can simply mean one of the members of your family closing or opening in prayer after a worship session, at the beginning or end of the day, or whenever you want!

Another thing you can do as a family before prayer is go around and ask one thing you’re thankful for or one thing good that happened that day and thank God for it. 

It’s important for your family to draw closer during this time because a lot of us don’t have a choice! So if you’re praying and worshiping together, even if it’s not consistent at first, you’re already doing well.

2. Pray alone.

Sometimes we really just want some personal time with God, and that’s when you can pray alone. Let all your worries and fears be cast on Him, He’s got you. You can pray in the morning, during the day, before you go to bed, or even before you fall asleep in bed! 

I like to listen to Christian music or read the Bible when I pray. The lyrics and the Bible verses help inspire words to come out of my mouth to God, and they keep me focused. I don’t always do that, as sometimes I forget to pray until after I go to bed, but it is definitely helpful.

So when you can or need to, pray silently or privately if you need to. God is by your side. 

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:17

You Can Still Read The Bible

That’s right, you can still be reading the Bible! God’s word can be one of the most encouraging things during these times. You may find that you relate better to a specific passage now, you may notice something you didn’t see before, you may find the message you just really needed.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

If you want to know more about why reading the Bible is important, you can check out my article here:

Why Reading The Bible Is Important For Your Faith – Live to the Lord

I also recommend having somebody to discuss the Bible with. It can be a friend, a sibling, a parent, anyone. You can share your thoughts about the passage you read, share why it was encouraging, and have good discussion.

If you aren’t sure about finding someone to read the Bible with, you can sign up for my email list and you’ll receive three articles about finding, asking, and starting discussions with your Bible friend.

You Can Still Celebrate Easter

Easter is coming up in just over a week, and the churches are closed. Guess what? You can still worship, you can still pray, you can still read the Bible. That’s a good amount of church right there, so what’s stopping you?

Next week, on the 10th, I will be publishing an article with lists of songs and Bible passages about the crucifixion, about Jesus’s death and sacrifice for us. You will be able to click and look up all the songs and passages I list. I will also provide some discussions and reflections you can have for that part of the story.

And then on Easter Sunday, the 12th, you will get a bonus article! The article will consist of more passages and songs, but they will say that Jesus has risen. I also highly recommend finding a sermon to watch with your family; tons of churches are probably going to be live streaming or recording sermons!

Final Thoughts

There is so much you can still do for these times, even things that aren’t on this list. If you want to see more posts like this about what you can do, comment down below or contact me. This was a really fun article to write, and I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

As always, thanks for reading, my friend! If you’d like to hear more from me, sign up for my monthly newsletter. Keep up your faith, God is with you.

Have a blessed day,

~Caroline