Pastoral Thought--April 27

We all hope and believe that the pandemic will cease to impact our lives and our church very soon. Every day we encounter a new piece of news that suggests that things may be getting better. Vaccinations are on the rise. New reported cases fall. . . Then on the next day, that information is retracted or amended and we become discouraged or angry at the slow rate of progress. Ultimately we become frustrated and that frustration is lived as part of our Christian lives. 

We hope, and we believe, that the steps that we are taking, either as the church or as families, have been correct. But there is so much that we do not yet understand about covid-19  that this conclusion can be hard to support. 

You and I have read, or heard, individuals proclaim that these very same steps that we have adopted have been misguided. We have heard that we are being coerced to think differently and respond differently. We read that we are wrong in our thinking and responding to covid. But as I read the quotation below, and as I stop and think about it, I wondered if a different perspective is at work in our world???    

"First, the line of progress is never straight. For a period a movement may follow a straight line and then it encounters obstacles and the path bends. It is like curving around a mountain when you are approaching a city. Often it feels as though you were moving backward, and you lose sight of your goal: but in fact you are moving ahead, and soon you will see the city again, closer by."

These words appear in the book Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community. Written in 1965, Dr. King wrote these word while working, and trying to rest, in Jamaica. His schedule was frantic and he was beginning to feel that what he was working would never come to pass. While his words were initially written to address the civil rights struggles of the 1960s, I can hear in them a sentiment that applies to our current covid-19 situation and recovery. 

For we think that we are progressing accordingly, but there are times when that conclusion feels hard to accept and we wonder if we are misguided and foolish in our choices—either as the church or as families.

But I agree with Dr. King. “The line of progress is never straight.” Here at Plains we have been doing the best that we can to address these challenging times. We have worked hard to adapt and made choices that felt right and proper in the moment. We have attempted to keep everyone safe and healthy and offer meaningful worship. Then, something silently creeps into the back of our minds and we can become discouraged and frustrated that life in Christ’s church is not returning to normal. 

Yet we are moving closer and closer to the conclusion of this pandemic. We have adapted to the challenges before us, and we will continue to do so together. 

Blessings

Rev. Derek