Covid 19, Easter and Beyond

 I keep my eyes always on the Lord. Psalm 16:8a 

It has been about a month since the world has changed and I don't feel any more ready to face it than I did on that Thursday afternoon when I found out there would be no "in person" church on Sunday. What I do feel more sure about is that things will likely not get back to the way they were for an extended time, if ever. So what to do?

So for the first Sunday, at least for me, it didn't seem that there was much that I should do. We wouldn't hold Children's Chapel. Sunday formation and EYC would be cancelled, but we would all be back together soon enough and a Sunday off, well that is a welcome anomaly!! Before I could even enjoy that first Sunday off, things began to change quickly and before long there was a stay at home order, people were losing their jobs, there was no sign of when things might be back to normal, and the zoom calls on my calendar starting multiplying.

So enter in the remainder of Lent, Holy Week, Easter and beyond. One thing is for sure and can never be cancelled, that is the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus will rise from the dead even if there is no toilet paper or hand sanitizer to be found. It doesn't matter what is going on during Holy Week, Maundy Thursday is coming - it can't be stopped and Good Friday will be there to back it up! Holy Saturday will bring a somber feel that changes to joy, just as dawn breaks and death has lost its sting. What a welcome notion, even when all things seem to change without warning, some things remain the same. We the faithful are blessed with a church year and cycle of birth, death and rebirth. The cycle continues on forever and this hope of static stillness in a changing world is what I hold onto today. I see that things change before me without my control and I see the one thing that remains constant is my god. I will keep my eyes on god and let all the other things fade away as they change and wither like the leaves in the fall.

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