MAY 2020
Dear prayer companions,
I write you with gratefulness in my heart for your faithful prayers and many expressions of tangible concern on our behalf. The small Chiesa Riformata di Perugia feels comforted by your demonstrations of thoughtfulness and generosity. Even though at times we might be anxious about life, God, who comforts the downcast, reassures us by your presence in our lives, as he did with Paul through Titus, an ordinary human being (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Resuming worship services. These days we are learning anew the truth according to which – in the words of the Christian poet William Cowper – “God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform”. The coronavirus pandemic has really changed many things and we do not know yet how our future will continue to change in Europe and Italy. However, there have been definite improvements and life is slowly going back to normal. On May 29th, we had 516 new cases and sadly 87 deaths. Things are improving and it seems that on June 3rd the borders between the different regions of Italy will be open so that people may start to travel more freely. As for us, we resumed our worship services on the Lord’s Day of May 24th. We gathered together after 12 weeks and even though we were only 12 people (half of our usual attendance) it was truly a blessing to be simply physically present in the house of God.
Preaching Christ. In the last several weeks, I’ve been preaching a series of sermons on Isaiah 53, the fourth “Servant Song”. I thought that at such a time as this contemplating the Lord Jesus Christ in his life, passion, and resurrection would have given to people a more tangible realization of God’s presence with us. As I tried to reflect pastorally, it seemed to me that thinking about doctrines such as God’s sovereignty and providence might seem too abstract and difficult, while looking at the One crucified and raised from the dead would have strengthened our faith, hope, and love by inviting us to fix our gaze on a palpable God (Zachariah 12:10; Galatians 3:1). Moreover, this series on Isaiah 53 gave me opportunity to relate my sermons to Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost.
Family matters. Cristina and I rejoice because today – May 30th – we celebrate our 28th wedding anniversary. The Lord has truly blessed me through Cristina in so many ways that I cannot even understand. We continue to work in order to finish the move into our new home as now all shops and businesses reopened and special personnel such as electricians, plumbers, masons, and carpenters resumed their normal activities. Our first son Simone continues to live with us in Perugia and we hope to be able to soon bring my widowed mother, Ivana, to Perugia as well as our second son, Daniele, both of whom are still in Milan (probably this coming Fall).
Please, pray with us for the following prayer requests:
pray for the resumption of our church life and that the Lord may bless the preaching of the gospel as well as the witness of our members to their relatives and friends;
pray for a deepening of the Christian bond of love in our congregation;
pray for the decline of the coronavirus in Europe and Italy;
pray for our Cristina and myself, that the Lord may continue to unite and deepen our relationship and for our sons and my mother Ivana, for whom we are very concerned.
On behalf of all the members of the Chiesa Riformata of Perugia, I express a felt sense of gratitude for your faithful prayers and generous support.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Pastor Andrea Ferrari