The Post-Shutdown Church

We are making plans to resume church services in the next few weeks as the death rate the corona virus appears to have stabilized and the stay at home order from our government may be eased by then. People will be leery of gathering in crowds, so church will be different until we get a vaccine for this disease. Here are a few things we are considering doing during the first phase of re-opening. Realize that ours is a small congregation, so we have a few advantages over our larger neighbors.

• Start an early service for our members with co-morbidities or who are uneasy being around children.
• Everyone entering the building must wear a mask. This will be enforced by an usher.
• Masks made by members will be available at the door.
• Seating will be such that a 6 foot distance will be kept unless one is in a family group.
• Pews will be reserved ahead of time.
• A visitor pew will be maintained near the back.
• Prayer books and Hymnals will not be used, a service bulletin will be printed.
• No singing.
• No passing of the peace except for a wave or Vulcan salute done prior to the service.
• Between services a disinfection process will be done.
• The consecrated host to which a drop of wine has been applied are prepared ahead of time, toasted, and placed in individual plastic bags on the rail. 
• No coffee hour.
• Continue live-streaming. 

I do not know how long these changes will last because no one knows when a vaccine or miracle drug will come out.

In the meantime, if you have not seen or spoken to your church friends in several weeks, give them a call and ask them how they are doing. 

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his servants."

This Sunday's Psalm (116:1-3, 10-17) when read in its entirety is fitting for the present pandemic stricken world.

116 Dilexi, quoniam

1 I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of
my supplication, *
because he has inclined his ear to me whenever
I called upon him.

2 The cords of death entangled me;
the grip of the grave took hold of me; *
I came to grief and sorrow.

3 Then I called upon the Name of the Lord: *
"O Lord, I pray you, save my life."

4 Gracious is the Lord and righteous; *
our God is full of compassion.

5 The Lord watches over the innocent; *
I was brought very low, and he helped me.

6 Turn again to your rest, O my soul. *
for the Lord has treated you well.

7 For you have rescued my life from death, *
my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.

8 I will walk in the presence of the Lord *
in the land of the living.

9 I believed, even when I said,
"I have been brought very low." *
In my distress I said, "No one can be trusted."

10 How shall I repay the Lord *
for all the good things he has done for me?

11 I will lift up the cup of salvation *
and call upon the Name of the Lord.

12 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *
in the presence of all his people.

13 Precious in the sight of the Lord *
is the death of his servants.

14 O Lord, I am your servant; *
I am your servant and the child of your handmaid;
you have freed me from my bonds.

15 I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and call upon the Name of the Lord.

16 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *
in the presence of all his people,

17 In the courts of the Lord's house, *
in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!

Our deaths are inevitable, but we may find comfort that every death is precious to the Lord. 

Church and State: A Tale of Two Nations

During this corona virus pandemic my little church has received a few directives from our Governor. The first was to limit gatherings to no more than ten people. Later, the number was reduced to three. Many churches went online with virtual church services, and some offered drive-in church. 

In Greenville Mississippi, one drive-in church was raided by police for violating their Governor's orders and the congregants were fined along with the pastor while the nearby Sonic drivein restaurant got a pass.

"He also pointed out to the newspaper that his church has been penalized for doing exactly the same thing as a nearby Sonic Drive-In, where people drive around — and park — freely.'There’s 25 cars 200 yards away all in the same place at the Sonic Drive-In,” he said. 'What we’re doing endangers nobody.'”

Meanwhile, in China the government is banning even virtual church gatherings,

"Several members of China’s heavily persecuted Early Rain Covenant Church were arrested by communist authorities for participating in an online Easter worship service on Zoom and ordered to cease all religious activity."

 The coronavirus was not to blame for that one. Chinese churches must be government approved or they will be shut down and even torn down. China is engaged in a "sinicization" campaign to change religions into communst party programs.

"It requires religious leaders and institutions demonstrably to embrace State Socialism and the leadership of the CCP.
Ideological, legal, and bureaucratic, Xi’s ‘sinicization’ campaign is one part of a pervasive ideological re-education and remoulding campaign that recalls the campaigns of the 1950s and 1960s to anchor Chinese national identity firmly within the ideology and rule of the CCP. Among religious groups where the primacy of that identity is resisted, ‘sinicization’ has even entailed the imprisonment of vast numbers of Uighur, Kazakh, and Hui Muslims as well as intractable Christian leaders. Accordingly, ‘sinicization’ is no mere slogan, but a religious policy to enforce three key priorities of the CCP:

1. to streamline the bureaucracy for efficient oversight and control of all non-Party spheres and institutions;
2. to revive the sway of Party ideology over all aspects of life in China; and
3. to remove any ‘contradiction’ that might challenge Party ideology and rule.

  ...Replacements of paintings of Jesus with portraits of a benevolent ‘Uncle Xi’ in churches are a signal that worship of State and Party is now in order. The call for new translations of the Bible and the removal or revision of verses that challenge the ultimate hegemony of the state highlight the lengths to which the Party is going to bring the burgeoning Christian movement in China to heel."

The three examples I gave above show various degrees of control the State might impose on the Church. I am reassured that the Church, which survived the Roman persecutions, will survive these current threats because the Church presents a universal truth that no government can squelch. The truth we know to be that God incarnate loves us enough to die at the hands of the State, and that He rose from the dead, changing the lives of his disciples and others, and this power to transform lives continues to this day and will continue no matter what the State throws at us.

Tell Me More!

In this Sunday's reading from John 20:19-31, the resurrected Jesus appears to his disciples without and with Thomas in a story which is familiar to most of us,

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’ 

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’ 

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Consider those last two sentences for a minute.

Most of us would react to that by thinking, "Tell me more Jesus stories!"

Do we really need more?

If you don't believe after all that the Bible has already told you about Jesus, I doubt any more Jesus stories will help. What you may need is a discerning heart and a concerned friend to help you to understand the words that have been recorded by the Gospel writers.

Never be afraid to ask for help.

Maybe Economic Globalization Wasn't Such a Good Idea After All

Yesterday I was on a conference call with our two U.S. Senators and they answered questions as to how we are addressing the Covid-19 pandemic. Small business operations and loans were discussed among other things. We discussed how much of our pharmaceuticals are imported leaving us vulnerable to the whims of foreign powers and non-powers alike.

In this case, the problem is economic globalization which has led us to become dependent on others for many things like medications, personal protective equipment, tech support, even our shoes and socks.

The idea that economic globalization is a good thing has been shoved down our throats for several years especially by the last administration.

Forbes reported on globalization in general and its pros and cons five years ago in a piece by Mike Collins. I pulled out some of his pros and cons.

• Supporters of globalization argue that it has the potential to make this world a better place to live in and solve some of the deep-seated problems like unemployment and poverty.

• Free trade is supposed to reduce barriers such as tariffs, value added taxes, subsidies, and other barriers between nations. 

• The proponents say globalization represents free trade which promotes global economic growth; creates jobs, makes companies more competitive, and lowers prices for consumers.

• Competition between countries is supposed to drive prices down. In many cases this is not working because countries manipulate their currency to get a price advantage.

• It also provides poor countries, through infusions of foreign capital and technology, with the chance to develop economically and by spreading prosperity, creates the conditions in which democracy and respect for human rights may flourish. This is an ethereal goal which hasn’t been achieved in most countries

• There is now a worldwide market for companies and consumers who have access to products of different countries.  

• Gradually there is a world power that is being created instead of compartmentalized power sectors. Politics is merging and decisions that are being taken are actually beneficial for people all over the world. This is simply a romanticized view of what is actually happening.

•  Since we share financial interests, corporations and governments are trying to sort out ecological problems for each other.

Cons

• Building products overseas in countries like China puts our technologies at risk of being copied or stolen, which is in fact happening rapidly• The anti-globalists also claim that globalization is not working for the majority of the world. “During the most recent period of rapid growth in global trade and investment, 1960 to 1998, inequality worsened both internationally and within countries. The UN Development Program reports that the richest 20 percent of the world's population consume 86 percent of the world's resources while the poorest 80 percent consume just 14 percent. “
• Social welfare schemes or “safety nets” are under great pressure in developed countries because of deficits, job losses, and other economic ramifications of globalization.

• Some experts think that globalization is also leading to the incursion of communicable diseases. Deadly diseases like HIV/AIDS are being spread by travelers to the remotest corners of the globe. 

• Globalization is an economic tsunami that is sweeping the planet. We can’t stop it but there are many things we can do to slow it down and make it more equitable.

He did not predict what will happen when war breaks out or a severe pandemic occurs after economic globalization has fully developed.  An idealist  might predict that globalization of economies will prevent wars by providing a huge disincentive to breaking those mutual dependencies. The realist might predict that disaster or war will lead to an "every nation for itself" world, something like what we have seen to a limited extent in the current pandemic.

Clearly, we have weakened our national security as we have become more dependent on other countries for many critical needs during a pandemic. Plus we may find ourselves held hostage by some future foreign government that turns hostile to us or one that wishes to get something from us.

I guess the isolationist in me would like to see our country rebuild critically needed industries so that we can better manage the next calamity, but it may be too late. 

Easter Confusion

As Christians around the world celebrate Easter hunkered down in their homes, a bit confused as to what to wear when they tune in to their church's live stream, not sure what they are going to prepare for their Easter meal, and trying to decide if they should watch Ben-Hur for the umpteenth time, I am reminded that on the first Easter morning, the disciples were confused as well.

The story of the first Easter is retold in today's reading from John 20:1-18

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’ When she had said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, ‘Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” ’ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

I can understand the disciples' confusion. We believe this all happened because we know the rest of the story. We know that they too will see Jesus and believe. We know that at Pentecost the disciples will be transformed from believers into doers. We know that they will die for those beliefs and actions.

Today we are confused. We do not know the rest of our story. We want someone to transform us back into our pre-Covid-19 selves.

Who are you looking for to save you from the global pandemic and its repercussions?

Does your mind first turn to science, or to government, or to your own resources?

Pray instead in the name of Jesus to the God who has power over the grave. Pray that He will provide to science, to government, and to our common sense the wisdom to help us survive. 

If we do that, we will be transformed.

And when it is all said and done, pray also that we will have the humility and faith to get down on our knees once again to give Him thanks for the love that He has shown to us.

I can't remember anybody questioning the values of the good Samaritan... until now.

Samaritan's Purse has built a field hospital in New York City's Central Park and started seeing patients immediately. This report is from their web pages,

"One of our patients, a local police officer, was in desperate need when he arrived at the field hospital. 'My oxygen levels dropped one night and that’s when I called an ambulance. I ended up here the next day,' he said.
The police officer said his sister is at home caring for his three children, as his wife and his parents have also tested positive for the coronavirus. Being separated from his family is devastating. 'We’re a very tight-knit family. Not to be able to hug my kids is hard.'
But Kristen and our medical staff are doing all they can to demonstrate God’s love to those who are hurting.
“I want to say thank you for absolutely everything,” the officer said. 'From the prayers to the attention that they’ve given me since I’ve been here. It’s amazing.'”

But some New York politicians don't appear to be grateful. From NBCNY,

"The new Central Park treatment center is designed to treat patients from Mount Sinai Hospital, but the group responsible for putting it all together is an evangelical Christian organization with strict anti-LGBTQ policies" "...Those details have been a cause for concern for a number of lawmakers, including City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who called it "very disturbing" that the group could potentially turn patients away over their sexual orientation."
"We need reassurances from the city and from Mt. Sinai that Samaritan’s Purse and its volunteers will be monitored, and that the LGBTQ community will not be discriminated against in any way," Johnson said in a tweet. "This is a crisis, but our values remain."

"Our values remain." I guess that includes the low value "they" place on faithfulness to Jesus' teachings.

I can't remember anybody questioning the values of the good Samaritan... until now.

How are You Celebrating Palm/Cloak/Fig Sunday?

This Sunday many churches would be celebrating "Palm Sunday" by marching into the nave waving palm branches. This year, as we distance ourselves due to the corona virus pandemic, many of us will be at home, watching on our computer screens, in splendid isolation, as our priests and ministers carry on the tradition.

 Palm Sunday is a bit of a misnomer because in today's assigned reading, palm branches were not the great honor bestowed on the "King" of "daughter Zion."

"A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road." Matthew 21:8 

Spreading one's cloak on the road was a greater sacrifice, because cloaks were probably quite valuable and the roads back then were pretty nasty what with all those colts and donkeys coming and going, and going.

So why don't we call it "Cloak Sunday"?

People have tried to lobby for such a change, but it never caught on. I guess folks are not too willing to toss their Sunday best into the church aisle for the priests, acolytes, and choirs to walk over in a recreation of the event.

If you ever get tired of calling it "Palm Sunday" and are not ready to make the sacrifice of  "Cloak Sunday",  here are a few of the various names used historically and around the world for today's commemoration (derived from the Catholic Encyclopedia plus one from an older post here*),

• Kyriake
• Heorte ton baion
• Heorte baiophoros
• Lazarus Sunday
• Dominica in Palmis
• Dominica Palmarum
• Dies Palmarum
• Dominica Hosanna
• Pascha floridum
• Pâques fleuries
• Pascua florida
• Dominica florida
• Dies floridus
• Fig Sunday*
• Flower Sunday
• Olive Sunday
• Branch Sunday
• Sallow Sunday
• Willow Sunday
• Yew Sunday
• Blossom Sunday
• Sunday of the Willow Boughs
• Blumensonntag
• Blumentag
• Secundus floricultus (Armenian seventh Sunday after Easter)
• Secunda palmarum dominica (Armenian seventh Sunday after Easter)

It has been suggested that we tack branches on our doors to celebrate Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem.

Pewsterspouse and I will be tacking a housecoat (the closest thing we have to a cloak) to our doorway.  

Out of the Depths

In these days of global pandemic, I am easily keeping my social distance from other humans by virtue of living in the boondocks. Having lived most of my life in the city, surrounded by people, and having been in an occupation which put me on the front lines of the HIVs outbreak, and years of caring for the sick and dying, I can appreciate the efforts everyone is putting into the current corona virus pandemic.

On social media, people are trying to put out encouraging videos, and amusing memes. Few are out there praising God, but I find comfort that God is in control, and just as He brought Israel through darker times than this, He will see most of us through this crisis.

John Rutter's 'Out of the Deep' is his expression of Psalm 130 which is not something you will probably see on your friends Facebook pages. Listen to the Cambridge singers below and you will find that while it starts out dark and moody, in the end it leaves us with an uplifting word, and at the last, we are sent back to pleading to Him from the depths of our despair.

Out of the Deep Have I called unto thee oh Lord, Lord hear my voice.
O let thine ears consider well the voice of my complaint.
If thou Lord would be extreme to mark what is done amiss,
O Lord who may abide it.
For there is mercy with thee
Therefore shalt thou be feared
I look for the Lord
My soul doth wait for him
And in his eyes I trust
My soul pleaded unto the Lord
Before the morning watch I say
Before the morning watch
O Israel trust in the Lord
For in the Lord is mercy,
and in him is plenteous redemption,
and he shall redeem Israel all his sins, of all his sins.
Out of the Deep Have I called unto thee oh Lord Lord hear my voice.

To me, this psalm places me on my knees before my God, a place the world should be right now.