Tucked into the news I’m reading today are several stories about people fleeing the coronavirus where they are by heading to their summer place. It’s understandable. If you lived in New York City right now, I’d guess that you’d just as soon be somewhere else, at least in the short term. And if it’d be safer to leave, why not go to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket, or one of the islands in Maine or back to Florida? What the world needs, you might think, is more of that summer time peace and beauty.
Of course, the problem is… well, it’s two-fold. The communities where folks want to go, don’t want them. They have all they can handle with the people who live there year-round. And the second problem is that the more people move around, the more this virus spreads. It’s different for those returning from winter homes to summer homes, at least a little, because their permanent homes have space, room, and facilities for them. But the challenges of migrating at this particular time are just as serious.
When we have to move around – as in returning from Florida in the spring – it’s on us to do so as safely as possible. Jean Smith and I talked this morning and she was outlining their plans for return – hand sanitizer, lots and lots and lots of hand washing, packing food in the car so they don’t have to stop, plastic gloves for gas pumps (did it occur to you that you could repurpose doggy pickup bags to protect your hands?) – not even driving through New York City, but going over the Tappan Zee/Cuomo bridge – and so on. Protection runs in two directions – protect yourself against picking up an infection, and protect those whom you meet from catching anything from you,
In a funny (strange funny, not haha funny) way, that’s the work of Christ’s church…. to do what’s right for ourselves at the same time as we do what’s right for others. At the beginning of the First Letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul writes: “you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake, and you became imitators of us and of the Lord… so that you became an example to all the believers. . . (1:5-7). We learn from our teachers and from God, and we then live out our beliefs so that others can learn from us. Right now, that’s really basic – we wash our hands, use hand sanitizer, stay away from others. It’s good for us, and the example makes it easier for others to believe this is important. Paul wrote to people who lived in times as difficult as ours. He implores us to put our faith in God and live in a way that brings life to all around us. These days, that’s not metaphorical life; that’s real, physical life. And as Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York says, “every life matters.”
We remember always the essential work our church continues and ask you to send in your regular offering. You can set up an automatic payment through your bank, or mail your offering to the church at 5 Gibbs Avenue, Wareham.
Today’s Prayer List:
- Those who are confused by varying messages as to what’s safe, who needs to worry
- Those who have children at home
- Those who will be returning to Wareham from winter homes in the next few weeks
- Donald Hall – ill at Tobey Hospital. Donald can have phone calls; he’s in room 225, and he’d love to have cards.
To add a concern to the daily list, email me at pastorchild02914@gmail.com
Blessings always,
Pastor Virginia
To Believe is to Care. . . To Care is to Do 