My Dear Sisters and Brothers in Jesus,
Lenten greetings from your Rector and friend.
The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus (COVID-19), and its associated uncertainty invites us to explore new ways of being Church. Starting this Sunday, we will hold virtual Services at 10 am. If you are knowledgeable about virtual tools available, please let me and Christine know. We are in constant touch with our bishops and anything changes we will let you know.
I am saddened that we won’t hold in-person Church services, but prayerfully happy that our parish has not recorded any victims. Please let us continue to pray for one another.
The advent of COVID-19 may force us to wonder whether God is with us. Faced with this life-threatening global pandemic, we joyfully sung Isaac Watts’s hymn, “O God our help in Ages Past” last Sunday; not knowing when we will worship in our buildings again. In my sermon, I centered on Jesus’ encounter with the lonely Samaritan woman. In her lonely life, she found Jesus at Jacob’s well. In meeting Jesus, her circle of belongingness widened; she became the witness of hope to her people. “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?'”(John 4.29). With these words, the Samaritan woman became the bearer of good news to the masses. The question “Could this be the Messiah?” is pregnant with uncertainty on the one hand, and an invitation to experience Jesus as the savior of the world on the other.
The season of Lent is an invitation to walk with Jesus to the cross. Through the Samaritan woman, Samaritans joined Jesus on this uncertain pilgrimage. We know the end of this journey. After the Passion, Jesus will conquer the cross and death; but the disciples and Samaritans didn’t know. This uncertainty made them fearful as they drew closer to the cross; thereby left Jesus all alone.
The COVID-19 pandemic should not overwhelm us; it is another way of the Cross. The fear of spreading the virus has forced us to maintain social distancing with each other. Who is not afraid? Most of us have more questions than answers, and the temptation to blame it on others is high. This fear is worsened by spiritual and physical loneliness. We will miss each other, baby Paschal, Samuel, and Daniel, and all the beautiful kids who bring smiles on our faces each Sunday. Sadly, we don’t know how long this pandemic is with us.
So far, we anticipate celebrating Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter in our homes as opposed to our beloved Church building. In addition to our bishops, State, and CDC directives, we are doing so out of love. Loving our neighbor as ourselves demands selfless acts for all people. We are sacrificing our public worship in an attempt to protect each other from spreading this deadly virus. It is out of love that our bishops have directed us not to hold Church services with more than 25 people (CDC recommends not more than 10 people) with a social distancing of 6 ft.
But COVID-19 should not rob us of the joy of Christian fellowship; we are one sacred family in Christ. Prayerfully let us remain connected to one another by checking in. Amidst this crisis, we need to set time to pray. As part of our Lenten discipline, we will hold virtual Sunday worship services at 10 am and Compline on Wednesdays and Fridays at 9 pm. I invite all of us to be creative in sharing our thoughts on how we can make these services family-friendly. (PLEASE CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR DETAILS).
The coronavirus should not be blamed on any race–it is an opportunity to reflect on our interconnectedness or what my people call ubuntu (I am because we are). We are one human community. We are all “infected or affected” by this crisis. It is to this reality that God points in the way of the cross.
The ethical question is not were it came from but what we are doing to protect ourselves and our communities from this life-ending virus. Our hope is secure–Easter will come again. Together we will fight this virus and emerge even stronger as we bear witness to Jesus. We may not know the end, but with love, we will be victorious! That is the joy of the Christian faith.
Let us pray for all the victims of this virus, their families and friends, and for all those who are putting their lives at the frontlines to keep us safe. May God bless the family of Christ Church, our communities, and all God’s people across the globe. We should not forget to check on each other in the Spirit of Christ.
I end with the prayer associated with St. Francis:
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.