A Letter from Janet, April 30, 2020
Dear Grace Church Community,
On Tuesday, the group of clergy in the Berkshires, that I spend much time with, had a conversation about how we are physically, emotionally, spiritually living in this moment of pandemic. The conversation ranged from grieving the loss of being physically present with each other, to missing the rhythm of life that was familiar and comforting, to feeling deep exhaustion because everything is so new that nothing we have done “before” seems to work in these times.
I believe that we are all experiencing some time of grief, sadness, anxiety, and deep weariness that can come from finding ourselves in a place where so much is unknown. Life as we have lived it is completely changed. The Rev. Dr. Jane Tilman invited the clergy group to watch a short video about living an abundant life in these hard times. The video is entitled
We’re All Grieving. This Is How We Get Through It.
Dr. Esther Perel says, “Many of us are experiencing a deep sense of anxiety. Some of us know someone who has suffered from COVID-19. Some of us will know someone who dies from this virus. And we are not just experiencing a physical death, we are experiencing the death of the life we have known, the loss of a predictable future.” She also recognizes that we are grieving the loss of touch, the daily absence of being with people we love and walking beside strangers who share this world with us. She shares a video of a man coming home from what appears to be his job as a health care worker. He comes in the door in his hospital scrubs and his young son rushes to greet him. But rather than being able to scoop his child into his arms, he is forced to tell him “Don’t touch me.” You then see the father collapse in observable anguish.
How are you living in these times? Dr. Perel offers some surprising advice for us as we try to live each day. She encourages us to remember and recapture being fully alive. “The irony of this moment is that in a time of unimaginable tragedy, we can be reminded how to live.” She assures us that it is good to laugh. She says we should find opportunities to celebrate. Claiming joy is an antidote to the feeling of despair.
Jesus says it this way, “Abide in me as I abide in you. As God has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15) And we find these words of hope in our scripture “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)
So at Grace Church we are celebrating the ministry of the Rev. Jen Bloesch on Saturday, May 16 at 1:00 pm. We are not waiting until a “more favorable time.” We are rejoicing Jen’s presence and ministry among us right now. Celebration is an antidote to despair. We offer worship every Sunday morning at 10:00 am, because while we remain physically separated, we can sing and rejoice in community because we are connected through the Holy Spirit. We come together for Third Sunday Suppers and Books and Bread, because laughter reminds us that God is present and loves us. We delight in learning together and praying together because maintaining our strong bonds of fellowship reminds us that we are not alone.
I am listening and learning each day as we experience together this new way of being, this new way of loving each other. I ask you to share with me your concerns, your ideas, your hopes—whatever gives you life in these days. Being church is changing by the minute, but God’s intention for the church continues to open towards God’s glorious promise of hope. Day by day as we walk this unknown path together, may you find moments of peace, surprises of joy, and experience the presence of God’s love surrounding you always. God can be trusted. God’s mercy endures forever.
In the peace of God that passes all understanding,
Janet
Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through this time, so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this life may rest in your eternal changelessness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
