Month: April 2020

April 7, 2020 – Tuesday of Holy Week

Mark 11: 27-28   Again [Jesus and the disciples] came to Jerusalem. As [Jesus] was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?”

The traditional story of Holy Week recounts how Jesus spent each day.  On Tuesday, it’s said he went to the temple where the established leaders challenged him,  asking “who are you to be saying these things about God?  Who are you to be saying we’re doing life wrong?”  Over the centuries, we’ve put aside the reading which said that the “wrong” was that they were Jews.  They were ALL Jews.  The “wrong” was that they’d fallen into the easy path, the routine path, the path that says doing it the right way is more important than anything else.

Does this happen today?  You bet.  Today is election day in Wisconsin.  But they have the coronavirus just like everyone else so, for instance, in the city of Waukesha, with 72,000 people, there is only one polling place open.  Milwaukee has only five polling places open.  The state government said it was more important to stick to the schedule than to have everyone participate in the election. 

Closer to home, I see people still having the little celebrations of life – birthday parties, Easter dinners and so on.  It’s more important, they say, to do what we’ve always done than it is to keep everyone safe.  

In these dangerous days, I urge us all to keep our eyes on what’s most important.  The most Christian, the most loving, the most patriotic thing we can do these days is to stay home, wash our hands, phone our friends.  This is a war won by sitting on the couch, so let’s sit right down and win.

A German pastor wrote, yesterday:  “God does not spare us from the ‘dark valley,’ the valley of death, but God is with us in our fears of natural catastrophes caused by viruses. .”  (Jurgen Moltmann)  God is with us.  Today.  Tomorrow.  Always.

Blessings, Pastor Virginia

Many thanks to those of you who have sent your pledge into the church.  Our expenses continue, so we really appreciate your efforts to help us pay our bills.  Checks may be mailed to the church at 5 Gibbs Avenue, Wareham MA  02571.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Wednesday      7pm     Church Council, via Zoom

Thursday         2pm     Memorial Service for Donald Hall, via Zoom

PRAYER LIST

Ron and Mary Westgate ask that we pray for Michael Layman, who has the COVID-19 virus.  He is the brother of their daughter-in-law.

Steve Chanona’s daughter Annie, who is in Florida,  has the COVID-19 virus.  Keep her and Steve in your prayers.

Elaine Johnson writes:  4/5 is my oldest grandson Cameron’s 14th birthday and on April 16th, his younger brother and my youngest grandson Ryan will celebrate his 12th birthday. Though my heart is so sad that I cannot be with them as they celebrate their birthdays, I am so blessed that they and the rest of our family is healthy and safe. . . .  I’m grateful for FaceTime during these difficult days we are in. At least we can see the smiling faces of our dear grandchildren. ❤️

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.

If you have a prayer concern feel free to send it in to be included in this daily email. 

The Queen of England spoke on Sunday, saying:  “We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.”

In the Bible, the story tells us that on this day, Jesus visited the Temple, where he found people focused on what did good for them, rather than what did good for God.  In that day, it was all about folks selling stuff in the Temple, rather than respecting the place as a gathering to worship God.

Today, the equivalent would be those people who are taking this terrible time and using it to sell hate and anger.  The pastor who said something like:   “The COVID-19 is God’s punishment on us for turning away from God, for being wicked” was trying to use our love of God to preach his gospel of hate.  Jesus drove those people from the Temple; he still has something to say to people who use the Gospel to spread hate and fear.  

The days of this week are something like a little Lent, as we travel with Jesus from the temporary success of triumphal entry in a steady path to arrest, and torture, and death.  Are there things you (and I) do which pull us from worthwhile living into wrong paths?  Are there things we should be doing to make our world better?  Can we, in this week, name our sins, of omission, sins of commission?  Can we struggle with how we are captive to them?  Can we move towards the Easter Day of dedication to a better life?  Not to fix everything, not to be fully right, immediately on that day, but to be aware and ready to try again?

Many thanks to those of you who have sent your pledge into the church.  Our expenses continue, so we really appreciate your efforts to help us pay our bills.  Checks may be mailed to the church at 5 Gibbs Avenue, Wareham MA  02571.

UPCOMING EVENTS

There will be a meeting of the Church Council, via Zoom, on Wednesday evening at 7pm.

There will be a Zoom memorial service for Donald Hall at 2pm on Thursday.  I will send out an invitation on Thursday morning.  

Prayer List:

Ron and Mary Westgate ask that we pray for Michael Layman, who has the COVID-19 virus.  He is the brother of their daughter-in-law.

Steve Chanona’s daughter Annie, who is in Florida,  has the COVID-19 virus.  Keep her and Steve in your prayers.

Elaine Johnson writes:  I have a celebration I want to share. Feel free to add it to your email if you like. Something happy!! Today is my oldest grandson Cameron’s 14th birthday and on April 16th, his younger brother and my youngest grandson Ryan will celebrate his 12th birthday. Though my heart is so sad that I cannot be with them as they celebrate their birthdays, I am so blessed that they and the rest of our family is healthy and safe. We will be singing Happy Birthday to Cameron via FaceTime later on today as he blows out his candles and I imagine we will do the same for Ryan on his birthday. I’m grateful for FaceTime during these difficult days we are in. At least we can see the smiling faces of our dear grandchildren. ❤️

If you have a prayer concern feel free to send it in to be included in this daily email. 

Blessings,

Pastor Virginia

April 5, 2020

TRADITIONS AND CHANGE

We begin the day the way we always do, with a rendition of that old favorite, “The Palms”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu90sp8Pfts  sung by First UMC of Coral Springs FL.

But everything else this year is different.  There are no real palms.  You might have colored the palm I sent out, or picked a branch from your yard to be your palm this year but we do not have the familiar, real, branch.  We are not together.  You might have joined those of us who watch the Old South Palm Sunday service – we are far apart, yet there’s a sense of solidarity when we see each other’s names in the chat feature.  We’re using computers and smart phones to connect.  We are not seated in the usual pew, chatting with our friends all around us.  We’re not joyous, not excited.  We live, these days, in fear.

On that first Palm Sunday, that triumphal entry into Jerusalem, we’ve long emphasized the joy.  This year, though, we’re going to get up close with the fear that ran right along with the joy.  Jesus came to turn the world upside down.  No matter what they hoped would happen, no matter what they expected to happen, no matter what the plans were, I don’t think there was a person in that parade who didn’t know that it could all fall apart.  Fear was right there with them, as it is for us.  

I can imagine a choir singing “The Palms”.  I can picture us singing “All Glory, Laud & Honor”, but under it all I hear the words of “Ride On, Ride On In Majesty”: 

Our world tries to tell us that everything is good, that if things aren’t going well for us, it’s our fault.  A prominent fake Christian leader tells us that the pandemic is our fault for not loving God enough, thereby proving that he doesn’t know God at all.  For God is with us at exactly these times.  Our friends will not get sick, we will not be struck down because we are bad, but because we live in a natural world.  The good news is that, whatever happens, God will be with us.  God loves us, and that’s all we need to know.

TODAY’S NEWS:

A private graveside committal will be held this week for Donald Hall.  It is private because, in these times, we are not allowed to gather at the grave in numbers.  The Board of Health has been closing down services if a crowd grows.  We will hold our own service for Donald when we can get together again, when there will be no limitation on the number of us who can attend.

Many thanks to those of you who have sent your pledge into the church.  Our expenses continue, so we really appreciate your efforts to help us pay our bills.  Checks may be mailed to the church at 5 Gibbs Avenue, Wareham MA  02571.

There will be a meeting of the Church Council, via Zoom, on Wednesday evening at 7pm.

Prayer List:

Ron and Mary Westgate ask that we pray for Michael Layman, who has the COVID-19 virus.  He is the brother of their daughter-in-law.

Steve Chanona’s daughter Annie, who is in Florida,  has the COVID-19 virus.  Keep her and Steve in your prayers.

If you have a prayer concern feel free to send it in to be included in this daily email. 

Blessings,

Pastor Virginia

April 4, 2020

So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. (1 Corinthians 15:42)

Friends, Donald Hall died on Friday.  We give thanks to God for the gift of Donald’s life and for the opportunity to know and love him.  I don’t yet know the plans for a service but will let you know as soon as I hear.  Much thanks goes to Rich Cotton who took such good care of Donald.

This morning, Pat Bergstrom forwarded to me an email she’d received from Hope Floats Healing & Wellness Center, saying she’d found it to be “thoughtful, realistic, and hope-filled.”  I agree, and have quoted some of it here:

Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition, writes: As director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition, I advocate for our human need to acknowledge and embrace our darker emotions. Our culture usually isn’t so good at honoring loss and supporting others who are grieving, even though they are essential parts of our lives. Instead, to our detriment, we tend to focus almost exclusively on the happy and the distracting and the fun.

It’s a question of balance. We need both, you see. We need to honor the light and the dark, the happy and the sad—and everything in between—because all of it belongs. All of it is authentic. And whatever is authentic is normal and necessary.

Usually we’re out of balance because we choose to shine our awareness only on the “good stuff.” But right now, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, we’re at risk for the balance tipping too far the other way, in the direction of fear and despair.

Yes, in difficult times, we must remember to hope.

What is hope? It’s an expectation of a good that is yet to be. It is an inner knowing that the future holds positive things. It is trust that no matter the current circumstances, the days to come will reveal happiness. It’s forward-looking—yet experienced in the now.

Like mourning, nurturing hope is active. It’s something we can do. Let’s look at what we can do to embrace hope even as we are experiencing the many losses caused by this pandemic.

Practice mindfulness

As I write this, most of us in North America are sheltering in place. Though our normal lives have been completely disrupted and we may be experiencing very real personal losses (sick friends and family members, financial jeopardy, lost connections with loved ones, to name just a few), many of us are also, in this moment, safe and comfortable.

Practicing mindfulness means learning to be present to our immediate surroundings right now. As I write this, the sun peeks out from billowy clouds in a denim-blue sky. I see spring crocuses blooming. My dogs sleep at my feet. Whenever I am mindful of the present moment, I find gratitude, and gratitude helps me access hope, which we might think of as gratitude for what is to come.

Being mindful in the now also helps me build relationships with the people I care about. In the now I can share quality time with my wife, and even though I can’t visit them in person, I can also spend time each day on video calls with my children and friends. The more I can use this time to strengthen relationships with my dear ones, the more hope I will have for the future gatherings we will share.

Relinquish the illusion of control 

There’s a fine line between a) informing ourselves about the pandemic and steps we can take to keep ourselves and others safe, and b) overconsuming information (and misinformation), causing undue stress and even despair.

In this information age, we have limitless content at our fingertips. We could read, watch, and listen to new information about COVID-19 for many hours a day and still never be “caught up.” It makes sense that we might be tempted to overconsume information in an effort to feel in control of what is happening. The trouble is, we as individuals can’t control this epidemic, and we can’t even fully control what happens to us and our loved ones.

Relinquishing the illusion of control can lessen our anxiety and help us to build trust in our own capacity to cope with whatever happens. If we work on mindfulness, we don’t have to obsess and worry. Instead, we can learn to be OK with our lack of control and trust in our own resilience. When tomorrow comes, we will handle what comes tomorrow. Today we are only responsible for today.

Build hope

If we believe that our futures will include moments of joy, love, and meaning, we already have within us that spark of hope. We can grow that spark into a flame by intentionally building hope into each day.

How do we build hope during difficult times? Here are a few ways:

• By taking part in activities we care about to the extent that we can while sheltering in place
  • By engaging in spiritual practices
  • By making a collage of words or pictures that symbolize hope in our mind and heart
  • By intentionally imagining the futures we desire
  • By making future plans that excite us and that we know we will enjoy
  • By helping others
  • By staying in close contact with the people we care about, ideally through video and phone calls
  • By taking care of our bodies, our minds, our hearts, our social connections, and our souls

In the midst of our fears, we can still live, feel joy, plan for tomorrow, hope that all will be well; in the midst of our joy, we can acknowledge our fears.  We were made by God to feel both fearful in the face of this sort of thing, and hopeful for tomorrow.

Join me tomorrow at the online worship at the Old South Church in Boston – 10am at https://www.oldsouth.org.  Take a picture of your homemade palm and send it along to me to share with everyone!

Today’s email includes resources for Palm Sunday.  Click here:  https://illustratedmin.s3.amazonaws.com/weekly-resources/PalmSunday.pdf?ck_subscriber_id=136888751

Included is a PDF of a palm branch – you’re invited to print it out, color it, maybe cut it out, and display it.  And there’s also resources for the children you know.  Feel free to forward it to others if you want.

Many thanks to those of you who have sent your pledge into the church.  Our expenses continue, so we really appreciate your efforts to help us pay our bills.  Checks may be mailed to the church at 5 Gibbs Avenue, Wareham MA  02571.

There will be a meeting of the Church Council, via Zoom, next Wednesday evening at 7pm.

Prayer List:

• Ron and Mary Westgate ask that we pray for Michael Layman, who has the COVID-19 virus.  He is the brother of their daughter-in-law.
• Steve Chanona’s daughter Annie, who is in Florida,  has the COVID-19 virus.  Keep her and Steve in your prayers.

If you have a prayer concern feel free to send it in to be included in this daily email. 

Blessings,

Pastor Virginia

So far, I don’t personally know anyone who’s gotten this virus.  I know at least one family here has, but I wonder if most of you aren’t like me.  You don’t yet know anyone who’s been ill.  But, statistics say, we will.  Each of us, all of us will.  And, almost certainly we will personally know someone who didn’t make it.  

If we lived in New York City, that day would be now.  And the people who were sick?  Many would have died.  That’s what we each fear for our own towns.  Planners think Massachusetts might have as many as 9500 people ill in hospitals by mid-April with as many as 100 people dying each day.  That number is for the whole state, by the way, not just our area.

Right now – tedium.  In two weeks?  Sorrow.  Hold on to Psalm 31.  Hold on to the lessons of the Holy Week we’re about to enter.  Remember that we hold on to a God who holds on to us. 

News for today:

Today’s email includes resources for Palm Sunday.  Click here:  https://illustratedmin.s3.amazonaws.com/weekly-resources/PalmSunday.pdf?ck_subscriber_id=136888751

Included is a PDF of a palm branch – you’re invited to print it out, color it, maybe cut it out, and display it.  And there’s also resources for the children you know.  Feel free to forward it to others if you want.

When we next gather together, we’re going to have the real palms, but this will be our safe-to-distribute place holder.  Many thanks to Nancy MacNeill and Elaine Johnson for tracking down the real palms and then to Elaine for getting them to Julie McNeill and her family.  And great thanks to everyone at the McNeills for agreeing to turn our palms into palm crosses!

Many thanks to those of you who have sent your pledge into the church.  Our expenses continue, so we really appreciate your efforts to help us pay our bills.  Checks may be mailed to the church at 5 Gibbs Avenue, Wareham MA  02571.

There will be a meeting of the Church Council, via Zoom, next Wednesday evening at 7pm.

Prayer List:

• As always, Donald Hall remains in our prayers.  He’s at Nemasket Healthcare Center, 314 Marion Road, Middleboro MA  02346 and his cell phone number is 508-930-0051.  His kidneys are failing and he is on hospice care.  In this holy time, he welcomes your cards.
• Donald Hall’s sister, Natalie, died on Saturday.  Our love is extended to Donald.
• Ron and Mary Westgate ask that we pray for Michael Layman, who has the Covid virus.  He is the brother of their daughter-in-law.

If you have a prayer concern feel free to send it in to be included in this daily email. 

Pastor Virginia

April 1, 2020

I see a lot of reports in the papers that “this huge number of people” or “that huge number of people” are going to die as a result of this pandemic.  Some of the articles suggest that since so many will die, all the sacrifices we are making right now are worthless.  Some say those sacrifices aren’t enough.  And I even hear some who say this is a government plot to do destroy churches by telling us we can’t meet. 

What we’re doing is hard, but it’s making a difference.  (and the “we” in this case, is all the US, not just you and I)  We are flattening the curve.  Sure, it’s likely most of us will get this virus, sometime or another.  But we’re delaying what might, or even will, happen, and delaying saves lives, because it spreads out the number of people who need hospitalization.

In other words, what we’re doing, by staying home, giving up big celebrations and so on, is making a difference.  Someone said recently, “if at the end of this, people are saying  ‘you made too big a thing of this virus’, then we will  have succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.”

It strikes me that what’s happening is a time-compressed version of a life.  Throughout our lives we do small things that don’t seem to make a difference, but by the time we’re in our sixties, we can see the net effects of our choices.  I read this one today in an alumni magazine:  “We went on to get Married in 2018 and couldn’t be happier. All because we by chance signed up for the same 9am lecture and lab”  Today, we’re seeing those little choices playing out in just a few weeks, rather than an entire lifetime.

The Bible has a lot to say, in any number of places, about the importance of little choices.  In fact, I don’t think that the authors of the Bible really thought any choice was little.  You go to the town well at 9am instead of  10 and meet your spouse.  You offer a morsel of bread to a beggar, help a sick man to the healing pool at Bethsaida, offer a room at the inn, and the Son of God is born in your barn.  Little choices make a big difference – then and now. 

And now for the local news:

Nancy MacNeill wants to thank those of you who’ve sent in your checks to help keep our church going.  Our building is closed, but we are still operating, and your offerings are welcome.  Ann Marie, our church secretary is no longer coming into the office, but David is still deep cleaning in the Hall.  The building is doing well.

We will NOT be distributing palms at the church on Palm Sunday.  It is simply not safe enough.  However, look for another kind of palm later this week.

Prayer List:

• As always, Donald Hall remains in our prayers.  He’s at Nemasket Healthcare Center, 314 Marion Road, Middleboro MA  02346 and his cell phone number is 508-930-0051.  His kidneys are failing and he is on hospice care.  In this holy time, he welcomes your cards.

• Ron and Mary Westgate ask that we pray for Michael Layman, who has the covid virus.  He is the brother of their daughter-in-law.

If you have a prayer concern feel free to send it in to be included in this daily email. 

Blessings, Pastor Virginia