Pastor Kevin Sanders

I usually write a review of the year around this time. Here goes:

Covid Madness

As I mentioned in a previous post, I underestimated what Covid-19 would do to the world. I have lived through both SARS and Swine Flu, neither of which had much of an impact on my life. I thought Covid-19 would come and go over the course of a few weeks.

I was wrong, of course. There was a lock down, immediately followed by a mad rush on toilet paper and even some groceries.

I remember posting a couple of pictures from the store on my Instagram account during those first couple of weeks (one was of the paper supplies section at Sam’s; the other is of the breakfast cereal isle at Walmart):

I will say this: I believe the way most governments (note the plural–not just America) have approached this pandemic has been an unmitigated disaster. It seems like we never recovered from a doomsday forecast that was not properly peer reviewed before it was put into circulation.

I believe the draconian lock down strategies have done more harm than good to society as a whole (this medical doctor from Sweden has written a good article about it). I am concerned about children (particularly children from poor families) who have missed months of education over a virus that poses no real threat to them (statistically speaking).

Re-evaluating Social Media

You may disagree with the above assessment of lock downs, and that’s OK. I won’t argue with you about it on Facebook/Twitter, because 2020 was also the year I decided that social media is not a very good place to discuss/debate these and many other issues.

Social media became incredibly toxic this year, at least from my perspective. I saw (and still see) people ranting and arguing about masks, medicines, vaccines, bizarre conspiracy theories, racial issues, and let’s not forget politics. I have cut back on posting anything other than Bible verses, devotional material, and pictures of my family. This has been good for my soul.

Church/Ministry

We stopped having worship services when the first case was confirmed in El Paso back in March. I did the best I could to minister to our congregation through email, YouTube and Zoom meetings while we were not meeting in person. These online formats are useful, but I must confess that it didn’t take long for me to get tired of virtual “meetings.”

Our church did start meeting in person again in June. Attendance has fluctuated as Covid cases and hospitalizations do the same here in El Paso. We are still doing Sunday worship for the remnant who feel comfortable attending.

We hired a new staff member in the middle of all this. He’s doing a great job with our children/students and I’m still amazed that we found him (or he found us).

I wish we could do more as a church, but I’ve been blessed by the faithfulness of God’s people during this difficult year.

Doctoral Studies

The final phase of the Doctor of Ministry degree involves leading a team through some type of process which enhances/improves your church’s ministry (and writing a detailed report of it). By the grace of God, and with the help of a wonderful ministry team from my church, I was able to get this done in 2020. I passed the oral defense of my ministry project report back in October and earned my doctorate.

I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to study at Gateway Seminary. I’ve learned so much over the past three years! Finishing this degree was a much-needed shot in the arm in the midst of a very challenging year.

Family

My son is growing in size while my lovely wife continues to grow in beauty. I’m thankful that I’ve had these two with me before, during, and after the lock down!

We did not get to go out and do much this year for obvious reasons. But we were able to go to Alabama a couple of times to visit extended family–most recently in November.

I was a bit conflicted about traveling and potentially exposing family members to Covid (since El Paso has been a hot spot). But tomorrow is never promised, and we don’t regret taking advantage of the opportunity to see them.

Notable Books

I didn’t have quite as much leisure reading time this year due to all the writing I was doing. But here are a few great books that I did find time to finish:

I started off almost every morning in 2020 with two devotional books: My Daily Pursuit (AW Tozer) and Being Still With God (Henry and Richard Blackaby). These devotionals, very different in style, were both great blessings to me.

Two theological books stick out in my mind from this year. First and foremost, Sam Storm’s Kingdom Come was a fantastic read. This is a book about eschatology–the doctrine of the Second Coming of Christ. I don’t think I’ve ever read such a long book (over 500 pages) so quickly.

I also finished The Potter’s Promise (by Leighton Flowers) a few days ago. Flowers is a former Calvinist who changed his mind about the doctrine of soteriology (salvation). He now believes that Christ loves every person and died for all. He explains how he came to that conclusion in this book. Very well-written.

Note: another great book on soteriology is Kenneth Keathley’s Salvation and Sovereignty. I read this one years ago, but it always comes to mind whenever I read a book about the nature of salvation.

I’ll also mention a book I read on pastoral leadership: Second Thoughts: 100 Things Small Church Pastors Need to Reconsider, by Dave Jacobs. This book was full of great insights/ideas for those who pastor small churches.

Final Thoughts

I’m sure most of you are ready for 2020 to be over with. I am too–it’s been a tough year.

But God is good, even in difficult times. And 2020 had more blessings than I deserved. I have so much to be grateful for, and I can trust God for whatever He has in store for us in 2021.

Luke’s Gospel begins with an the announcement of John the Baptist’s birth. John, of course, was the messenger sent by God to prepare the world for the arrival of Jesus.

Luke introduces us to Zechariah, an aged priest. He is married to Elizabeth, who came from a family of priests. They had spent their lives serving God faithfully through a very dark time in Israel’s history. They were blessed, but their neighbors probably thought otherwise: Zechariah and Elizabeth had no children. There was a painful stigma attached to those who were barren/infertile in those days. Their friends and family probably assumed they had failed to receive God’s blessings due to some secret sin. But Luke describes them as “righteous” and “blameless” (Luke 1:6).

Zechariah was granted a unique opportunity in his old age: he was chosen by lot to burn incense at the altar. He would go to the Holy Place within the temple. He would get to stand at the veil of the Most Holy Place and keep the incense burning. He would smell the fragrant smoke, which represented the prayers of God’s people.

It was here, at this holy moment and place, that Zechariah got more of a divine encounter than he had bargained for. He received a personal visit from Gabriel. He was understandably afraid, but Gabriel had some incredibly good news: Zechariah and Elizabeth would have a child. The boy would be named John, and he would be a prophet like no other. John the Baptist would prepare the way for Jesus Christ Himself.

I’ve been thinking about one particular detail of Luke’s account for the past few days:

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.”

-Luke 1:13

“Your prayer has been heard.”

Based on Zechariah’s response (vs. 18), he had not prayed for a child in a long time. I wonder just how long it had been.

I imagine it went something like this:

Zechariah and his wife married when they were young (it was common for women to be engaged by the time they were 15 in the ancient world). They thought they would be changing diapers within their first year or two of marriage. But those first years passed by with no sign of new life. Tearful prayers were lifted to heaven, but to no avail (or so it seemed at the time). More years went by, then decades. Zechariah’s prayers for a child eventually ceased as time and age suffocated all hope. He and Elizabeth were advanced in years, and they would have no heir to receive their rich spiritual heritage.

Zechariah had long since forgotten his prayers for a child by the time Gabriel showed up.

But God had not.

God would answer Zechariah’s prayer in a time and in a way that only He could. Zechariah and Elizabeth were graciously included in His story of redemption.

Zechariah’s name means “Yahweh has remembered.”

God remembers. God remembers our prayers–even those we have forgotten. Isn’t He amazing?

2020: The Year in Review