This past Sunday we listened to hymns broadcast over Wi-Fi, yesterday we drove by the church to “Pick-Up” our pre-consecrated communion wafer, and this morning we logged on to Zoom to start our day with Morning Prayer. Six months ago, we did not foresee any of this—the physical distancing, the online worship services, or the pain and suffering that is slowing rolling over the Earth. If we would have known that God was calling us to be the church in this very moment, I imagine we would have protested and complained as we headed down to Joppa hoping to escape God calling us to our own Nineveh. We are all mourning what was and longing for what we hope will be again.
As we collectively weep over that which we long to return to, how do we accept the moment that God is calling us to live right now? How do we acknowledge the wholeness of our calling, our situation, our unique gifts, and what God is asking of us in this moment in time, not in the hope of what was or what could be, but to know that the very place God is inviting us to right now is good? As you seek God’s will, I encourage you to reach out to those in your community who live this experience on a daily basis—this is something that many people living with disabilities are intimately familiar with. We often pray for God to make those who suffer in mind, body, or spirit whole again, but we assign this fragmented definition upon people who may not view themselves as lacking or needing to be made whole while assuming this is how God views them. What if instead of viewing this moment as something to “fix” we viewed this moment as another piece of our wholeness in God. Instead of trying to rush back to what was or make our current situation fit a specific narrative, we sought opportunities to live in Christ right now.
Each of us have had to discern and continue to discern what God is asking of us during this Pandemic. From faithfully tithing to serving meals at Christ Church to being a member of our prayer warriors, we are continuing to choose to be the hands and feet of Jesus. When the pandemic began there were many parishioners who were able to easily transition from in person worship to online worship, but there continue to be those who struggle weekly to connect to Zoom or YouTube to participate in the services. Still, there is yet another group of parishioners who have decided that they would rather wait until in person worship can resume and are currently not participating in online services.
For those who have had an easier transition, I ask that you find a parishioner who is struggling and walk alongside them to make sure they are able to stay connected to our church family; for those who are struggling, please reach out and let the church know how we can help; and for those who have decided to wait until in person worship can resume to participate in services, I ask that you consider how this unique moment in time could be an opportunity to grow in faith. I am not saying we should not weep for what has been lost or not look forward to what will be again, I am simply asking that we be open to see this moment for what it is, as a call to be the church in the time in which God has placed us, which has always been and will always be our commission.
Brandi Underwood
Director of Communications
