May 7, 2020

Dear friends and fellow disciples,

So…I’ve never led communion in my kitchen before. 

I suspect most of you have never shared the sacrament in your living room (though I wouldn’t judge you if you had). I confess I wasn’t sure what I would think. These things are meant to be done together, after all. They are visible signs of an invisible grace, tactile manifestations of the grace embodied in Jesus Christ. We share the sacraments, in the sanctuary, together.

But as we know, we can’t be together. We shouldn’t be. We are staying home to keep ourselves and others safe and healthy. I'll admit that at first doing communion online felt a bit like a cop-out, a back-up plan I came to with low expectations. But then I remembered that every time we gather around Christ’s table, we do so keenly mindful we are not there alone. The Holy Spirit connects us with the broader Christian community and with the saints who have gone before us. That great cloud of witnesses is always with us, the Holy Spirit connecting us with people beyond those physically present. Remembering this not only helped me feel better about what we were doing, but helped add a texture I hadn’t considered beforehand. Yes, we were connected via video on the Internet. But the Holy Spirit is always connecting us with those far beyond the people in the room with us. And that connection is a source of joy and of hope.

This email is full of ways the Spirit continues to connect us – both to people we know and people we have yet to befriend. Please take time to read it through. Your gifted staff continue to adapt and, in partnership with you, we are all stronger for it. Know I’m cheering for you and praying for you in this time.

Chris