New Year’s Eve day was warm and dry, so Otto and I headed to a local trail for an end-of-the-year hike. While we walked, I thanked God for all the good things of 2021 and wished a speedy farewell to all the sorrow and mess of the past year.
Pivot. Restrictions. Shutdown. Face coverings. Protocols. I hoped that they would all be behind us. I didn’t think that we would still be using these words and adapting our actions to COVID-19 almost two years into this pandemic, but here we are.
This past Wednesday afternoon, after much discussion, analysis, and prayer, we sent an email and posted it on social media saying, “Lord of Life is suspending in-person worship for January 9 and 16.” If you haven’t seen it, yet, it is available on our website; you can read all about our next couple of weeks together while physically apart.
This step backward makes me sad. It has been so nourishing to our faith community, as well as my own heart and soul, to be back together for worship moments, greet each other during the week when you drop by the office for a conversation or to pick up resources, and to feel the growing momentum as we return to church life after an extended period of isolation and physical distancing.
I am grateful that we have compassionate church leaders and a congregation who are willing to take this step and put our faith into action. This is one way that we can bring relief to exhausted and overwhelmed hospital staff, while also keeping our neighbors and selves healthy. Thank you. We know that it is the right thing to do, even if it stinks.
As my dog and I walked, I was also grateful for canine pardon. One of the great gifts of my dog is that he easily forgives me. When I’m crabby, he doesn’t hold a grudge. If we have a frustrating morning together, he is still eager to greet me when I come home. Forget a treat? He's happy if I just double up next time. In his mind, “It’s all good!” I once saw a bumper sticker that declared,
“Help me be the person that my dog thinks I am.” Oh, that it were that easy.
On this Epiphany day, January 6, we remember the magi traveling to meet and worship Jesus as king. Shane Claiborne describes Epiphany as, “a season when we see Jesus’ divine mission revealed when the magi visit him and we remember his baptism, miracle, ministry, and his call for us to follow.”
Today, we also remember the terror and trauma of last January 6. It was a day of confusion and fright at the Capitol, leaving property and people damaged and destroyed, as well as at least seven people dead who were connected to the chaos of the day.
Turning the page to 2022, we want a clean slate for our lives and the world. We are eager to leave the regret and grief of the last twelve months behind and start afresh. But we all can’t live like Otto. Even as we work towards forgiveness and reconciliation, Jesus fuels us for faith in action. Romans 12 talks about what that love in action looks like.
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves ...
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn … If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
Jesus, help me be the person that you know I can be.
I thank God for you,
Pastor Lowell