A WORD FROM THE PASTOR….. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
Dear Friends in Christ,
I pray that you are each well on this cold but beautiful March day. The temperatures here on the hill are still below 20 degrees, but the sky is clear, cloudless blue. The forecast is for temperatures near 60 degrees later this week! Of course, that warm weather will introduce mud season and my dirt road will become a sticky, slippery mess, but it’s how the seasons shift and turn the earth over in springtime. Best of all, even though we might have some more snowstorms, we know that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel!
Speaking of “lights at the end of tunnels”, I’m wondering if most of us (in the designated groups, at least) have received our Covid-19 vaccination? I’ve heard that some of us have completed the requirements, some are scheduled but waiting for their appointment, and others are still trying to get into the system. I’m scheduled to go this week and am hoping for the one-shot option (though I’ll be fine with going back for the second shot if I don’t). As I talk with friends, family members and with some of you, I sense a shift taking place as people begin to look forward to a release from the isolation and uncertainty we’ve all been experiencing through this long season of the pandemic. I’m also hearing uncertainty and questions about what this will mean for us. I know that we all hope to be able to see family and friends, to travel, to eat out and enjoy doing things we did “before”, but we are also hearing that we will need to continue to wear masks and remain socially distanced in public, while staying within small groups when unmasked. It seems that the experts are concerned about the new strains of the virus that are vaccine resistant and spread easily. And the fact is that after being so very careful of what we touch, where we go, who we see, and how we cover our faces to protect ourselves and others – it will be a big shift for all of us to return to “normal.” In reality that “old normal” will probably never return – or will take longer to come back than we thought when we first heard about the vaccines. We are still adjusting and readjusting to the new normal – as we try to figure out what new thing lies ahead. There are reports out about new levels of anxiety about this reopening process. I just read that some people are experiencing panic attacks and social anxiety – even as they can begin to resume some social engagement – because of fear of touching, contamination, new viruses, and other deep worries. I wonder if we, too, will find that it isn’t as easy for us to relax our vigilance and enjoy some of the social freedoms we have longed for?
The line of scripture from Joshua (see above) is very early in the biblical account of the entrance to the Promised Land. After their generations of slavery and oppression in Egypt, and the forty-year sojourn through the desert, at last the people of Israel were in the land of milk and honey! All that they had been promised and had hoped for was theirs! Only, if you read this passage or go back to read this part of the Book of Joshua, you will find that things weren’t as easy as they thought they would be. They had to fight with the people who had been living there as they “reclaimed” the lands that had belonged to their ancestors. Then, they had to rebuild their lives, make new homes, establish communities, work out family problems, feed and clothe themselves, and on….and on….and on. Isn’t that just like life? To promise a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is yours – if you can get it! And that’s how it was for the Children of Israel – here’s the Promised Land – it’s yours if you can face the challenges and do what it takes to adapt to your new reality. I think this is how it will be for us as we face the new reality of a post-vaccine, Covid world. We will still need to reclaim our abandoned activities – in new ways. We will need to find ways to build community and reconnect with friends and family. We will have to figure out how we will creatively feed our spirits and our needs for social connections, as we continue to accept the need to take necessary precautions.
Still, the good news is right in this verse from the scriptures where it clearly says, we are not to be afraid or discouraged. Why? Well, aren’t we the people of the resurrection who live daily with the promise that God is always with us – no matter what we are facing? – This is why we have hope that whatever comes our way, we can face it and live through it to the dawn of the new day! Good news! Spring is coming. The clocks are springing ahead (this week)! Hope is in the air. God is always with us – what do we have to fear?
In the meantime, stay safe! You remain in my prayers….and remember, I love you and I need you to survive!
Peace,
Pastor Betsy
Pastor’s Office hours this week: Worship Planning at home. See meeting and other scheduled events below.
Thursday (this week) recording session for Sunday worship.
WEEKLY CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Monday 3/8 4:30 pm – Food Insecurity Ministry planning meeting (zoom)
Monday 3/8 7:00 pm – Financial forecast meeting (zoom)
Tuesday 3/9 6:00 pm – Trustees (at church/face masks and social distancing required)
Thursday 3/11 – Recording for weekly service/office hours
