Nothing is Going to Be the Same (and that’s okay)

We are living in unprecedented times. I’m sure this has been said many times before, but now seems truer than ever. We are living through a pandemic unlike anything anyone alive has ever seen, widespread economic instability, rancorous political division, an education system turned upside down, a nationwide uprising for racial justice, heatwaves, lightning strikes, bigger than ever forest fires, and now blood red skies and toxic air. It would be unusual if you were not feeling uneasy, stressed, or overwhelmed in some way.

In the midst of all of this, our churches are continuing to offer services and programs online and to navigate through all the regulations and restrictions around gatherings. This September doesn’t look like any other September in the history of our church experience. So don’t try and do everything the way you have always done it – it’s okay to let go of our traditional programs or schedules.

Instead, focus on what gives life to your community. From the earliest days, the church has gathered – and sometimes in great difficulty, persecution, and stress – to share sacred story, to remember what Jesus taught, and find meaning in those words for their own lives. We are still doing that, and our power as a community lies in this sharing and finding refreshment and renewal in prayer and in the spiritual practices that have shaped religious communities over centuries. Technology is simply the tool that is allowing us to have these times together, but it is our prayer, and story, and teaching that are shaping us and creating space for God to speak to our battered souls at this difficult moment.

So church won’t look the same this fall, and that’s okay. But God is present in the midst of us – even when 2 or 3 are gathered on zoom. May your gatherings be blessed, and may the word of God dwell in you richly.

- Amy