“There was very little in my training for the ministry that covered the full measure of what our church family has dealt with in the past few weeks,” the pastor said. “The intensity of this virus has been underestimated by so many, and I continue to ask that each of you take it very seriously. An act of wisdom and restraint on your part can be the blessing that preserves the health of someone else.”
Despite the difficulty of what he and many others are going through, Palenske reminded his church that God is the ultimate hope and strength of all believers. He quoted 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, which says,
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
“I challenge each of you to live by and encourage others with this scriptural truth,” said the pastor. “Let’s keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.”
