Get Up...Go On

I don’t know about you, but today, I’m feeling pretty much bummed out.  I don’t know what it is about today that makes me feel that way.  Physically, I feel fine.  Emotionally and mentally, however, and probably spiritually as well, things aren’t going so well.

Yes, I know we live in a different time with the Covid 19 pandemic.  Yes, I know many others feel much the same way I do.  Yes, I know that we are keeping stores closed and other people at a distance for a good reason.  But that doesn’t seem to have much of an effect on how I feel this day.  I think it’s a kind of a combination of things that are bringing me to this point.

I miss the interaction with people in the stores I normally haunt.  I miss the handshakes and the greeting hugs from others.  I miss the opportunity to get something at a sit-down restaurant.  I constantly am thinking about handwashing and hygiene.  I continually evaluate my recent past actions and whereabouts for any signs that I may have been exposed.  And the list goes on.

This stay-at-home thing is work.  It is mentally taxing.  It occupies space in my mind better suited to other things.  It sucks energy that is supposed to go to caring for self and others in a more “normal” manner.

And I don’t’ even stay at home.  Church work is exempt, for the most part, from the stay-at-home order, so we come into the office, at least for a short time pretty much daily.  Life goes on for our members, friends, and others we serve.   But there’s something that defies simple explanations of how people work and what makes us tick.

As with other things of this kind over history, we will get through this.  We will learn things.  We will vow to never let it happen again.  Politicians will fall over themselves claiming credit for any success that may be and distancing themselves from any failures.  We’ve been through enough of this kind of thing to know the drill.

And so it goes, to borrow a phrase from Linda Ellerbee.  Although we may all feel discomforted and out of sorts in some way, we have life to live as long as we have breath to breathe.  One doesn’t have to feel jolly and carefree in order to function.  One just needs to just get up and go on.

The Virus

I am writing this while listening to the Senate debate the pending legislation which will literally create out of thin air about two trillion dollars, which will be distributed to many different entities to help combat the financial effects of the Covid 19 virus.  As of this writing, the vote hasn’t been taken, so I don’t know how this will turn out.

Nor do I know how this whole pandemic thing will turn out.  We could turn the corner in a few weeks, or it could be several months that the virus hangs around.  And I suspect that the virus will always be with us in some form or another.  Hopefully, we can develop a vaccine to combat its spread, just as we do with influenza and other illnesses.

The other unknown is the recovery of the economy.  We may be in a kind of a morass of recession for several years.  Or we may snap out of it in a few months.

There is so much that is unknown right now.  We humans don’t like not knowing.  We like to at least THINK that we know what is coming our way, even when we know deep within us that we have no clue about the next minute, let alone the next day, month, or year.  We fool ourselves into thinking we’ve got the world (and our lives) by the tail.  And we live like it, too.  However, the reality is that we don’t know if we’ll take another breath, let alone eat another meal.  I may not finish this blog post.

The virus pandemic has made many of us stop and reconsider our daily lives and routines.  It has forced us to consider things besides whether or not the “Y” will be busy this evening when we go to exercise.  We now are considering things besides whether to get fried chicken or Chinese at the Dillons deli for dinner tonight.   We are now considering more of the basics and feel a great sense of helplessness against an enemy that is unseen, mostly unknown, and more stealthy than a cat pursuing a mouse.

We are being hauled up short by the truth that we really aren’t in charge.  We don’t know it all.  We haven’t prepared for all situations.  Our 401-K funds, our BMW’s, and our club memberships do little for us in times like these.  Suddenly, bread, hamburger, and toilet paper take center stage in our lives as we scramble to adjust to a new normal.

I don’t know how this will all end.  Yes, we’ve been through hardship before.  Yes, we’ve always managed to overcome.  But the scars of those battles last a lifetime.  Those who fought in WWII never completely shed the scars of battle.  The same for Vietnam, Korea, and Desert Storm.  Those of us who lived through the Oklahoma City bombing or the Twin Towers disaster will never be the same.  The assassinations of the 1960’s, the civil rights movement…those and others forever change us in some way, both as a nation and as individuals.  And this pandemic will also change us in some way.

My hope is that change will be for the good.  My hope is that we will become a better people…a society that recognizes its failures as well as its successes.  My hope is that we will begin to better acknowledge the God of heaven and earth and turn toward him instead of away.  Will those things happen?  I haven’t a clue.  But I do know that I can make a difference by the way I think, behave, and speak.  I can acknowledge God and serve him as best I can.

I can only change me.  God in heaven, I do acknowledge you as the Lord and God of the universe.  I repent of my failings in life…my greed, jealousy, sense of superiority, apathy toward the needs of others, and a host of other sins and failures.  Continue to work with me as a work-in-progress as I open my heart to those around me in service to them.  Give me the wisdom and strength to do “abundantly more than I could ever think or ask.”

Demonstrate Your Faith

I think it is important for you to know how we have made the decision to cancel services for the next couple of weeks.  You need to know that this was not a quick decision.  Nor was it one made in a vacuum.  We have worked hard to gather the best possible information, relying on several sources.  We have considered the desires and wishes of those in our church family.  And we have made the commitment that we would be good citizens and follow any directives from government agencies or officials regarding crowds and meetings.

We have been gathering information, seeking the latest announcements and directives, and meeting together as a staff for the past couple of weeks.  Initially, it was thought that this would be a mild thing, with not a lot of consequence.  However, there were daily updates alluding to the eventual reality that this was going to be much bigger than anyone thought.  We all were made rather breathless, so to speak, by the swiftness of the shut down of the normal way of life for many of us.

Doing the best we could in our information-gathering, and meeting pretty much daily with staff and keeping the Elders apprised of our discussions, we mutually came to the decision to basically shut down the building to all events except for those grief and support groups that felt they needed to continue to meet for the health and well-being of their participants.  The shut down will not at this time affect office hours; however, should the authorities recommend such, we will also close the office.  We will let you know should that happen.

This is a new normal for us.  We cannot visit at the hospitals or nursing homes.  We are reluctant to visit anyone at their home.  We are careful about who we let into the building during office hours.  We have essentially scrapped sermon series and Bible classes for the indeterminate future.  Our observance of Communion as a body has been suspended.  We no longer can gather to sing, pray, or listen to the Word of God.

And that’s OK, for a while.  We need to obey the governing authorities and demonstrate our faith in tangible ways that don’t put others in jeopardy.

For those of you who are members of RiverWalk, I ask you to continue your contributions to the church, as our expenses go on even though services do not.  You can mail them in, use some form of direct payment arrangement with your bank, bring them by should the office be open to accept them, or any other means you may have available to you.  We understand if you have been temporarily laid off or your source of income has been reduced due to the virus.  But if you can, please remember the Church in your financial plans during this time.

Check on your neighbors.  Don’t hoard supplies.  Wash your hands often.  Give to others as they have need.  And remember that the God of the universe loves you.

A Great Opportunity

It is what it is.  I know that people have long ago tired of hearing that sentence.  However, it is just as pertinent today as it was years ago.  The corona virus outbreak world-wide is something that must be contended with just as it is.  It is not how we wish it to be, and we many times feel helpless to bring things back under human control.  We are stressed, concerned, and even worried that this thing may take years to recover from, and that the casualties will be high.  And those concerns may be well within the bounds of what actually happens.  We just don’t know now, and won’t know for a time just how this thing shakes out.

I’ve also heard or read many different opinions from a religious perspective regarding this outbreak.  Some say it is a judgment from God upon the present Administration in Washington, D.C.  Others say it is a general world-wide judgment, and the end of the world is coming soon.  Still others say it is a wake-up call from God for the Church to come back to the basics of the Gospel.  And yet others say that God intends for us to evaluate our own lives regarding out complacency, greed, and consumption.

All of those opinions may have some merit.  This IS a good time to do some serious self-evaluation.  This IS a good time to take a look at modern society.  This IS a good time to be sure we are ready for the second coming.

It’s also a great time to be and do the hands and feet of Jesus Christ as we minister to those in need…those who are down…those who have been thrown into the poverty pit by this virus.  It is a great time to give monetarily, give of our time, and give of our love.  It is a time for prayer, meditation, and reflection.

No doubt this experience will change us in one or more permanent ways as well as in several temporary ways.  Just as the events of 9-11 changed us, this experience will as well.  And that can be a good thing.  We may come out of this with a little more humility, a little more compassion, and a little more grace toward others.

So, let’s get through this together.  Let’s continue to pray.  Let’s continue to trust God.  Let’s continue to follow the pattern of Jesus and serve.  We Christians have a great opportunity here.  We need to take full advantage of it.

Just Stop It !!

Today, a Facebook friend and fellow Christian posted something on her timeline that had to do with fact checking some of the President’s claims and statements.  The fact checking showed that several of his comments were either false or were substantially embellished.  The fact check also cited sources for its checks.

This type of thing (fact-checking), is done regularly by several organizations, checking the veracity of statements and claims made by politicians and others.  Some of these are, to be sure, biased in some way.  Others, however, have shown a remarkable lack of overt bias and a desire for the truth to come out.

My friend was immediately attacked by her Christian “friends,” who accused her of hatred, teaching children to hate, and spreading vicious lies about the President.  Their words were not at all spoken “with grace and seasoned with salt,” as the great Apostle Paul admonished in Colossians 4.  Rather, it was an all-out frontal assault, it seemed, on a fellow Christian.

I private messaged her to encourage her.  We had a short back-and-forth in which she made a statement to me that hauled me up short.  She was talking about one of her fellow church-members who she said had told her that it was acceptable to lie for the President.  Her exact words in her message to me were these:  “I had a woman at the church, some one so well respected by her peers tell me flat out that it was okay to lie for Trump and to post his lies because he is the best president we've ever had.”

Did you get that?  Did you see what this Christian woman ostensibly said to my friend?  According to her, it is proper to lie and to spread those lies…because why?  Because “he is the best president we’ve ever had.”  What does the Bible say about those who intentionally lie, gossip, and spread falsehoods?  Those who create discord and chaos?  Those who willfully sin?

As one Christian to another, where does one go when faced with this from another Christian?  How does one respond?  This is such a jaw-dropping admission that I have difficulty fathoming that anyone could sincerely believe and practice this…let alone someone who calls him or herself a child of the Living God.

I don’t care if it is Mr. Trump, Lindsay Graham, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, or Ted Cruz she is talking about.  This kind of behavior…this kind of rhetoric…this kind of attacking language…this kind of smug self-righteousness is wrong for the Christian in any venue, any time, any place, for any reason.  Period.  It is disrespectful, repugnant, and ignorant.  It has no place in the Christian culture.

Brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors, it’s time to put this to a stop.  Christian people are putting themselves in danger of the consequences of willful sin by this kind of behavior and attitude.  Christian people are in danger of being guilty of dragging others into the same morass of judgment.  Christian people are in danger of causing great harm to the Christian faith in the eyes of those who are not believers.  STOP IT !!  NOW !!!

Blessings

Earlier this week, I put a Facebook post on my timeline that extolled the wondrous blessing of automatic heat in the house via a furnace and natural gas.  That got me to thinking about other incredible blessings we have that we take for granted.  Here are just a few.

I turn a knob in the bathroom and a just-right mix of hot and cold, safe water comes out of the shower head, washes me off, and goes down the hole in the tub where pipes carry it to a treatment plant somewhere.  I don’t have to pump water from a well, carry it from a river, or heat it in a tub to get an incredible shower experience.

I move a lever and water flushes away human waste into those same pipes, carrying it away to be treated.  I don’t have to do anything else to handle the waste I make.  It’s all done for me in a safe and sanitary way.

I open a door in the kitchen, and take out a carton of milk that has been kept at a near-constant 37 degrees, keeping it and other food from spoiling.  I don’t have to bring in a block of ice to cool it, hurry and use the milk all at once, or worry that it will spoil before I can use it.

I lift a lid in the basement and put in clothing, some detergent, and maybe some color-safe bleach, and 45 minutes later the clothes are clean and fresh.  I don’t have to take them to a river or pond, beat them on a rock, or make my own soap.

I open another lid and put the damp clothes in.  About 30 minutes later, they are dry and ready to hang or fold.  I don’t have to traipse outside to hang them on a line, freeze-dry them in winter months, or iron them with an iron I heated on the wood-burning stove.

Today, when I get home, I’ll push a button in my pickup and a large door will open at the house.  I’ll pull in, turn off the engine, and push the button again.  I’m inside a spacious garage that keeps our vehicles frost-free in winter, makes it easy to get in and out of, and keeps them from being vandalized on the street.  And the garage is attached to the house, so I don’t have to go back outside to get into the house.  It is also lit constantly with a LED bulb in the ceiling that provides enough light to do what we need to do most times.

I could go on and on.  Furniture, mattresses, television and entertainment, streets, roads, air conditioning, parks, microwave ovens, dishwashers, recliners, C-PAP machines, lawn mowers, kitchen appliances…you name it and it is probably a relatively recent blessing that only a small portion of the world’s population knows about or uses.

And these are indeed incredible blessings, just like the blessing of the furnace.  Blessings that ultimately come, not from technology or science, but from the God of heaven and earth.  Blessings that are ours to enjoy, and ours to use wisely in service to Him.