Summer Learnings
This summer looks and feels very different than what we are used to. Swimming pools, summer camps and programs, travel and vacation – all are curtailed if not cancelled. The gradual reopening of our communities that is now underway remains cautious and uncertain. Life as we know it has been dramatically changed – no question. The spike in COVID-19 cases in various parts of the nation has all of us wondering where this is headed. We’re all asking the same questions: How long will this last? What will the fall look like? Will there be a second wave of the coronavirus? What does this mean for school? For work? For life?
In the midst of this, here are some learnings that I have gleaned from what we’ve been through over these past months:
The Church Hasn’t Closed – Although the physical building may have been closed due to coronavirus restrictions, the church has not. The church is not a building. The church is the redeemed people of God. Of course, we all want to gather together again as God’s people. We really miss those in-person connections. But we are the church wherever we are, and we continue to shine with the light and love of Jesus through our words and actions wherever we go. The light and love of Jesus may shine all the more brightly in the midst of what is happening in our world because of COVID-19.
The Great Emergence – Some years ago, I read a book by this title written by Phyllis Tickle (https://www.amazon.com/Great-Emergence-How-Christianity-Changing/dp/080107102X). The premise of the book is that every 500 years or so, God shakes things up and does a new thing. 500 years ago was the Great Reformation and the age of Luther. 500 years before that was the Great Schism when the Church was split between East and West. 500 years before that was Gregory the Great, whose papacy marked the fall of civilization in the West with the collapse of the Roman Empire. 500 years before that was the Great Redeemer, Jesus Christ. The book calls us to realize that we are on the cusp of the next 500-year new thing – the Great Emergence. Could it be that COVID-19 is pushing the Church into the virtual world as the next mission frontier? I believe this may well be the case. Time will tell.
Both/And vs. Either/Or – With in-person worship services cancelled for 3+ months, churches (our own included) had to pivot quickly into online worship. We did so as best we could, adjusting to this brave new world. Much has been learned from this experience, and we are making adjustments and improvements as we go along. Going forward, and until such time as there is a vaccine for COVID-19, I believe many people will continue to worship online vs. in-person. The take-away here is that church and ministry, including worship, must be both online and in-person, not either online or in-person. We are mindful of the Scriptural call “not to forsake the meeting together” of God’s people (Hebrews 10:25). There is great blessing from that physical gathering of the people of Christ around Word and Sacrament. That is certainly the preferred option, but we need to recognize the place and importance of reaching people with the good news of Jesus through online worship. This will be the new normal going forward.
Convergence – It is clear to me that a number of things have converged over the last months, including the following: 1) the findings of the Worship Life Discovery Group at St. John’s in 2019 and early 2020; 2) the downward trend of worship attendance and offerings for a number of years; 3) the impact of COVID-19 on congregational life; and 4) Pastor Campbell’s acceptance of a call to another congregation. I do not believe that the convergence of these things is by accident, nor should we be unduly alarmed by them. Rather, I see these as coming about through the hand of the Lord. What do all of these things mean and what is the Lord calling us to do? That is what our congregation must prayerfully discern as we look to the future. Watch for more information about future town hall meetings to listen, discuss, and pray over these matters.
As St. John’s reopens for in-person worship beginning this month, we will slowly begin to reclaim some sense of normalcy in our life together as a congregation. But things will look and feel different – that is the reality. In the midst of so much that is different, we hold fast to what remains true and abiding for all time: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
Happy summer! God’s peace and blessing to you –
Pastor Meehan