April 25, 2020 – To Believe is to Care. . . To Care is to Do

Tomorrow’s Gospel story is Luke 24:13-35, that lovely story of the meeting on the Emmaus Road. You remember – two disconsolate disciples are on their way home from Jerusalem on the afternoon of the first Easter. They’re still mourning Jesus’ death; they don’t believe the stories they’ve heard from the women. As they walk along they meet a stranger, someone who hasn’t heard the stories, and so they tell him all they’d hoped for and their deep sorrow that it’s all for nothing. But the stranger told their story back to them in a way that made it all make sense, real sense. As they ate dinner together, they realized they were eating with Jesus. The women were telling the truth. Christ had risen! Once they recognized him, he disappeared – and the disciples turned back to Jerusalem, to their friends, to tell what they had seen and heard and experienced.

There are a lot of truths contained in this story, but for today, for a time when we are separated one from another, think about this: the disciples learned (and then shared) their truth in community. There’s a good reason for us to feel so isolated; we need one another to be truly who we are intended to be. And we are isolated today, one from another. So life is hard, and hard in ways we don’t see at first. I think, however, we’re not as isolated as we might be. We have this email community, for one thing, and a snail mail community as well. We continue to phone one another; we wave through windows and use Zoom to see and wave at one another. It’s not perfect, it’s not ideal, but it’s better than nothing. And maybe that lesson is there in this story as well – perfect would have been Jesus staying with them, but good enough, and better than what they had had been the dinner together, and the joy they shared with their friends.

Easter blessings, Pastor Virginia

SUNDAY WORSHIP TOMORROW: Turn to the Old South Church in Boston’s livestream tomorrow morning at 10am; sign in and say hi in the chat and we’ll all know we’re there together. www.oldsouth.org

NEWS

Nine of us gathered for Wednesday’s Tea With the Pastor, and had a delightful time sharing news of our community with one another. There’s always room for more, so join us next week on Wednesday from 1 to 2 in the afternoon.

We’re going to try having an informal Church Council meeting every Wednesday evening via Zoom, because we realized how much we were missing those informal opportunities to talk things over at Coffee Hours or during the week. With those opportunities gone for the time being, it seems like it will be good to gather this way. Invitations will go out every Wednesday morning. If you have something you want to put on the discussion list, email Pastor Virginia or any Council member.

Every month the Thrift Shop is closed, we lose about $1000 in income to run the church. 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 Michele Sabourin: 2 workers and 1 resident at her mom’s nursing home (Southpointe Nursing Home) have tested positive. Today (Saturday) the National Guard is coming to test everyone. Keep them all in your prayers.
UPDATE: Wareham Week Today reports that now over 30 people at Tremont Rehab, more than half of all who have COVID 19 in Wareham! Keep the folks at Tremont in your prayers.
School is closed for the rest of the school year. Remember teachers, parents and children in this stressful time.
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: 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.