Governor Andrew Cuomo began his daily briefing by saying, “51 Days”. Fifty-one days of staying home, fifty-one days of worrying about that cough, worrying about mom, or the kids, or your best friend, or yourself.
It’s getting tedious. It’s no wonder that the streets and sidewalks were busier yesterday – so beautiful, so sunny, so warm! We all wanted to get out, right? I saw a line at the local ice cream shop… no masks, no distancing, just good ice cream. And the possibility that one or more people there in that line were sharing a disease with the rest of the folks there. But we’re restless, we’re ready to get back to the way things should be.
It’s probably time to begin to realize that “the way things should be” or “the way it was”, isn’t ever coming back exactly the same. It’s not just that it’ll be a while before most of us are comfortable in crowds. It’s not just that it’s going to be a while before there will be a vaccine. It’s not just that people we knew will not be there. But it’s going to be the effect of all those things. Life will be different.
I think we’ll be more invested in getting together face-to-face, because we’ve had to do without for so long. I think we’ll be more willing to use electronic meetings, because we’ve discovered that it can work, when we can’t get together. But beyond that – my crystal ball isn’t yet clear. The one thing it says, loud and clear and consistently, is this isn’t over yet. It’s not too soon to imagine, even to plan, but it’s too soon to let up the pressure. Moreover, it says that those who are complaining that our rights are being damaged, those who are organizing mass protests about quarantine rules, those folks are working at cross-purposes to the healthy survival of our society. Those who say that what we’re doing isn’t needed because “look, the numbers are lower than projected” don’t realize that lower numbers are the absolute payoff for our rigorous observance of “stay home, stop the spread, save lives”. As Governor Cuomo says (frequently) “what we do today will determine what happens tomorrow.” So, dream about tomorrow, think about what new, good ideas we are seeing, but stay home, use those masks.
God gives us these ways of protecting our community and ourselves and expects us to use them. It’s a lesson that’s repeated by the psalm reading for today. When you read Psalm 1 today, read it for what it’s saying about how we get through this:
Psalm 1
Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;
but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.
The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Easter blessings, Pastor Virginia
As you know, our Thrift Shop is closed, and we are losing that income. If you could send in additional money this month, we’d really appreciate it. All our staff is still on the payroll, we still have utility bills. Your gifts make it possible for us to continue. Checks may be mailed to the church at 5 Gibbs Avenue, Wareham MA 02571.
NEED SHOPPING HELP? Nancy MacNeill reports that her two granddaughters are offering to do shopping for anyone who can’t get out. Just contact Nancy at 508-280-3716 or <nlmacneill@comcast.net
PRAYER LIST
Want to add a concern or joy to the list? Email me at pastorchild02914@gmail.com
- from Susan Ryan: Lori Benson reports that Tim has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, but is asymptomatic. Please keep Tim and Lori in your prayers.
- from Oonagh Brault: Please add my friend Lindsay to the prayer list. She has just been diagnosed with COVID-19.
- from Oonagh Brault: my sister-in-law, Kathy, and her father, Jim, to the prayer list. Jim was diagnosed with COVID-19. He is now on hospice care. Kathy is suffering because she cannot be with her father during this trying time.
- from Elaine Johnson: (Elaine reports Janice is better, but still needs our prayers) Please add my sister Janice to the prayer list. She fell and has a small brain bleed and concussion and severed her ear which needed to be stitched back into place. She is home recovering.
- Prayers for all who work in the medical field as they deal with this crisis.
- from Nancy MacNeill, prayers for her cousin Pam Bergeron
- from Lydia Sherman: Please add Carrie Andrews to the prayer list. She’s the cousin to my nephew Christopher’s wife… She currently is on life-support and is only in her 30’s.
To Believe is to Care. . . To Care is to Do 