It is an odd time to be looking ahead. In our lives at church, work, and home, we are taking things one day at a time. Our worship has moved to the home and our gatherings with our fellow members of Christ’s body is often mediated through a screen. Our hope, of course, is that this physical separation from one another is temporary, that we will indeed be able to see one another in person and pray and sing together before too long.

In the many months prior to our current situation, the worship team of the ELCA and Augsburg Fortress—in consultation and review with many others throughout the church—has been preparing a resource to support ongoing renewal across the church’s worshiping communities. 2020 brings us almost fifteen years since the introduction of Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW). A blog post in March described features of the assembly song portion of All Creation Sings, the forthcoming supplement to ELW. In addition to hymns and songs, this resource will include three new liturgical settings.

Setting 11 (following the numbering sequence after the ten settings in ELW) will be a bilingual service in Spanish and English. As many of our congregations and leaders have the need for resources in Spanish, this setting will be laid out in a side-by-side column format, allowing the assembly to alternate languages within a service if desired. The liturgical music, most of it new to the ELW family, will be bilingual as well.

Setting 12 will be a setting for Holy Communion with options for evening use. Some assemblies gather around word and table at times other than Sunday morning, perhaps on Sunday or Saturday evening. Some prayer options include language specific to this evening setting; others can be used any time of day. Much of the liturgical music is newly composed for this resource.

All Creation Sings will also include a service of word and prayer. A future post will explore this liturgy in more detail, but this is a more contemplative service that can be adapted for various contexts. The pattern includes suggestions for hearing the word, prayer, silence, and song. A number of contemplative, short songs are included in the assembly song section and would be especially fitting for this service.

The title of this resource, All Creation Sings, evokes a celebrative image that permeates the scriptures. As so much of our human activity comes to a halt right now, many have noted how the natural world has come to life in unexpected ways: clearer water, cleaner air, more abundant wildlife. Even as we struggle in these days, Easter has come. Christ is risen indeed. We place our hope in the God of creation and new creation, the Spirit who brings life in unexpected places and in unexpected ways.

 

Alex Zuber, Harrisonburg, VA

Warm-up Question

Can you think of a moment when you got some much-needed good news?  What did that feel like?

Some Good News

We could all use some good news these days, right?  That was exactly the kind of thinking that inspired John Krazinski, star of The Office and Jack Ryan, to launch a heartwarming series of videos called “Some Good News” from his own home, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Krazinski sets up at a makeshift news desk to tell the world about the good things happening in the midst of so much bad.  He talks about the bravery of healthcare workers and teachers going the extra mile for students while still social distancing.

He shares some laughs along the way and  even brings friends into the mix, interviewing The Office co-star Steve Carell.  Krazinski made a young girl’s day, by not only planning to fly her out to New York to see Hamilton when it’s safe to travel, but by inviting Lin-Manuel Miranda and the Original Cast of Hamilton to sing the title song over Zoom.  Krazinski is honest about the bad stuff, acknowledging that there’s pain in the world.  But in the midst of fear, confusion, and pain, he points us all back to what is good.

Like a fresh breath of air into these troubled times, Some Good News is just what everyone needs.

Discussion Questions

• Have you been focused on good news or bad news lately? 
• When we find ourselves in the midst of global pandemic, how should we balance the joy of Easter with our need to be honest about the bad news and dangers? 
• What has some good news been from your week?  What has been the bad news?

Second Sunday of Easter

Acts 2:14a, 22-32

1 Peter 1:3-9

John 20:19-31

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings.)

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

The disciples are locked in their meeting house together, fearful and desperate.  Perhaps this lesson is too relevant these days!  Like those of us living through a global pandemic, the stresses of physical distancing, and the general climate of fear, Christ’s disciples are in a similar situation.  They are completely lost, nothing makes sense, and they don’t know what is coming next.  How can anything go back to normal after they’ve followed Jesus?  How could their lives be normal after their friend betrayed their master?  How can their lives ever be safe when they may be recognized and killed as disciples of this self-proclaimed “Son of God”?  They are right to be scared.

It’s in this place of fear that Jesus comes to them.  Through their locked doors, through their fear, through their worry for whatever the future may hold, Christ comes to them and says, “Peace be with you.”

Christ’s peace in this situation is a curious thing.  Christ’s peace changes nothing, and yet it changes everything.  Think about it… The disciples already knew that he is risen.  They have heard this from the mouths of the faithful women who were the first to find the tomb empty.  And yet they hide in fear.  Jesus says “Peace be with you” but the threat of recognition and death still remains, should they leave their home.  Their pain at betrayal by a friend and horror at the crucifixion they witnessed remains.  Even after this scene they lock themselves away in fear again.  

The disciples proclaim to Thomas, when he returns, that they were witnesses to the Resurrection.  Christ’s resurrection peace changes something in this group.  Even if it takes a while for them to leave the safety of their locked home, the disciples’  lives are never  the same again.  They have received, like a breath of fresh air, the Spirit of the living, resurrected God.  Christ’s peace changes nothing, and yet it changes everything. 

The Peace of Christ is not a magic trick, a supernatural cure-all, or a get out of jail free card that just makes all bad things go away.  This peace surpasses all understanding.  It is a defiant hope that all things will be made new in the love of Christ, and that death, fear, despair, and betrayal will never have the last word.  

Knowing that Christ is truly present with us, shut up in our homes or when we make a dangerous journey out, does nothing to change that COVID-19 is deadly.  We are right to take necessary precautions.  Christ’s peace does not dismiss our doubts and fears, but acknowledges them.  Christ’s peace doesn’t ignore our failures and sins, but it’s big enough to hold them in grace.  We need the story of the fearful disciples and Thomas’ moment of doubt as we figure out how to live as Easter people.  

Christ’s peace acknowledges our pain, but it doesn’t leave us there.  Christ’s peace is making all things new.  Christ’s peace is the good news in the midst of the bad news.  Christ’s peace comes to us again and again, in good times and bad, “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.”

Discussion Questions

• Do you have doubts and fears?  Share some of them.
• What does it say about Jesus that he meets the disciples in the midst of their fear and weakness? 
• How can we understand Christ’s peace in the midst of COVID-19?

Activity Suggestions

• Find a conversation partner, either in your group or someone at a distance with whom you can call on video chat.  Share with one another the Good News, Bad News, and Peace/Hope of your past week.  (Some may have done this as High/Lows, Rose/Thorn/Bud, etc.)  Be honest and thoughtful about each category, especially when acknowledging the Bad News.  Discuss what it means that Christ’s love is big enough to hold your Bad News too.
• Start a Journal this week that is honest about the Good News, the Bad News, and the signs of Peace/Hope you see in your life.

Closing Prayer 

God of peace, who brought again from the grave our Lord Jesus Christ, meet us in the the locked rooms of fear we find in our lives.  Your love is deeper than the depths of despair, higher than any joy.  Give us eyes to see the Good News around us, and give us grace to bear the bad news.  Breathe your living Spirit on us, and raise us up to proclaim your peace and hope to a weary world.  We pray these things in the name of your risen Son, Jesus Christ.  Amen.  

U.N. | California | Minnesota | New Mexico | Pennsylvania | Texas | Washington | Wisconsin

Following are updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices.

Lutheran Office for World Community, United Nations, New York, N.Y. elca.org/lowc

Dennis Frado, director

UN LAUNCHES COVID-19 GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE PLAN: On March 25, António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, launched a US$2.01 billion coordinated global humanitarian response plan to fight COVID-19 in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries in a bid to protect millions of people and stop the virus from circling back around the globe. The plan “will be implemented by UN agencies, with international NGOs and NGO consortiums playing a direct role in the response. It will:

• deliver essential laboratory equipment to test for the virus, and medical supplies to treat people;
• install handwashing stations in camps and settlements;
• launch public information campaigns on how to protect yourself and others from the virus; and
• establish airbridges and hubs across Africa, Asia and Latin America to move humanitarian workers and supplies to where they are needed most.”

COVID-19 HAMPERS UN’S ABILITY TO GATHER MEMBER STATES IN NEW YORK: Since early March United Nations Headquarters in New York has struggled to hold its meetings of the Member States due to the COVID-19 situation. The need to ensure physical distance between all persons in attendance has meant that annual meetings dealing with the status of women, population and development and indigenous peoples have been curtailed, postponed or cancelled altogether. The General Assembly held at least one plenary virtually (by teleconference) and the Security Council haggled for weeks until late in the month over what constituted a “meeting”, i.e. whether it could meet virtually in line with the Charter (The Council is “to be able to function continuously” but “may hold meetings at such places other than the seat of the Organization as in its judgment will best facilitate its work”). The Council faced the expiration of several peacekeeping mandates at the end of the month which forced it to allow for the submission of written statements about proposed resolutions and voting upon them via e-mail. Another result of the extraordinary safety measures at all meetings since mid-March has been that civil society voices have not been heard, a troubling by-product.

---

California

Regina Q. Banks, Lutheran Office of Public Policy- California (LOPP-CA) lutheranpublicpolicyca.org

While COVID-19 has turned our world upside down in unprecedented ways, our advocacy work continues to be essential in developing coordinated and inclusive responses that support all Americans.

The California Legislature went on an extended recess beginning in mid-March which has been extended for the next month. Advocacy has therefore focused on urging the Governor to enact a true moratorium on evictions and mortgage protections, include Individual Taxpayer Identification Number filers in any relief at the state level, and more. Even so, we continue to support state bills related to COVID-19 relief, such as CalFresh, Simpler for Seniors and CalFresh, Prison Preenrollment and the Racial Justice Act for when the Legislature reconvenes. We are also assisting our partners in accessing federal CARES and Families First provisions and shifting our advocacy to the federal level when necessary.

The Lutheran Office of Public Policy – California instituted a new program to engage our Policy Council, pastors and members of Lutheran congregations in California. We call it Advocacy in Quarantine.

• We set a weekly Wednesday Zoom meeting where LOPP-CA staff offer a roughly 25 minute overview of the federal government’s response to Covid-19, the State of California’s response, and pending state legislation we are following and sponsoring. We also highlight the work that our allies and ministry partners are doing in the state.
• We then direct them to actions that would take them about 5 minutes to complete (I.e.; call or tweet the governor to release prisoners and ICE detainees on #FaithfulFridays)

We are grateful for an incredible response from our members, and we’re getting feedback from our ministry partners that the calls are already being noticed. We are seriously contemplating how this can become a part of our programing when we go back into session.

---

Minnesota

Tammy Walhof, Lutheran Advocacy- Minnesota (LA-MN)  lutheranadvocacymn.org

LEGISLATIVE SESSION: Monday, March 16, legislative leaders announced they were curtailing legislative activity, would be on call until April 14, and would only consider bills 1) COVID-19 emergency-related, 2) mission critical, like bonding, and 3) with broad bipartisan support. Before leaving that evening, legislators passed bills allocating $21 million to the Department of Health and $200 million to hospitals for COVID-19 preparation.

COVID-19 EMERGENCY RESPONSE: The Homes for All Coalition (H4A) kicked into high gear, recognizing that homeless populations, low-income families, and kids home without school meals are particularly vulnerable. H4A’s Policy Team (on which Tammy serves) called for rental assistance and shelter funding, while anti-hunger partners worked to boost food shelf funding. Lutheran Advocacy-MN pushed out three separate action alerts to thousands of Lutherans within less than 10 days, helping Homes for All reach its goal of contacting legislators in every MN House and Senate district. On March 26, both chambers returned for part of a day, passing HF 4531, a COVID-19 relief bill, 99-4 in the House & 67-0 in the Senate. The $330 supplemental appropriation included food shelf support, shelter & housing assistance, small business loans, and more. Funding levels were lower than hoped, but we continue the work.

EVENT/OFFICE CHANGES:

JRLC (Joint Religious Legislative Coalition) Day on the Hill, April 1: – Cancelled. Replaced by Day on the Screen. A recording will be available soon.

Now the Green Blade Rises EcoFaith Summit, March 28: – Postponed until 2021. Contact Tammy to get on list for resources/videos/online events related to youth/young adult speakers, & breakout sessions.

Earth Day Capitol Events, April 22: In-person activities cancelled. Online & social media options available soon (#MNEarthDay).

Work from Home: Tammy can be reached at tammy@lutheranadvocacymn.org or 651-238-6506 (cell/text). Most days she is in multiple Zoom meetings but will reply.

---

New Mexico

Kurt A. Rager, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry—New Mexico (LAM-NM)   lutheranadvocacynm.org

POLICY COMMITTEE OF LUTHERAN ADVOCACY MINISTRY—NEW MEXICO HOLDS SPRING MEETING: For the over 35 years that Lutheran Advocacy Ministry – New Mexico (LAM-NM) has existed, the Policy Committee has served a vital role in leading and shaping the ministry. This year’s Spring Meeting was held entirely via Zoom due to a state-wide stay-at-home order in place for New Mexico. The committee is currently comprised of members of various ELCA Lutheran congregations located around the state, as well as a non-voting member representing the Presbytery of Santa Fe. Important work at this past month’s meeting included:

• Reviewing the 2021 Bishop’s Luncheon and Issues Briefing. (The event included 135 participants from not only ELCA congregations but 7 other denominations as well.)
• Reviewing the 2021 Legislative Session report.
• Reviewing and approving financial reports.
• Continuing planning for the annual Fall Advocacy Conference to be held in November.
• Nominating new members to the Policy Committee.
• Saying good-bye to faithful committee members who are no longer able to serve.
• Revising the working document, “Role of Policy Committee Members.”
• Receiving and discussing the Director’s Report.

As LAM-NM moves into the coming month there is much unknown. Yet to be determined is how the New Mexico State Legislature’s Interim Committees will meet and work considering the COVID19 crisis. Also, in question is a possible special session of the Legislature to deal with ramifications of the dramatic drop in oil on the state’s budget.

---

Pennsylvania

Tracey DePasquale, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry–Pennsylvania (LAMPa) lutheranadvocacypa.org

RALLY TO VETO TAX BREAKS FOR PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY: LAMPa staff and volunteers joined creation care advocates from around the state March 9 for a rally to urge Gov. Wolf to veto a bill that provides potential billion dollars in subsidies to petrochemical plants and gas infrastructure for the next 30 years – a time when we need to be cutting greenhouse gas emissions for the sake of our common home.

ADVOCATE ENGAGEMENT: During a 30-day period, seven action alerts were shared with LAMPa constituents. Topics included multiple alerts related to COVID-19, violence against women, and surprise medical bills.

COVID-19 RESPONSE: LAMPa staff have been coordinating with partners in ELCA Advocacy and Lutheran Disaster Relief in response to COVID-19. Advocates have acted to urge policymakers to act swiftly to protect the vulnerable and promote the common good at the local, state and federal level. LAMPa participates in the state’s emergency feeding and sheltering task forces, sharing information on the calls and relaying out to our network, but also serving as a witness of the church’s accompaniment to public agency and volunteer leaders. We have been sharing vital information with our synods, congregations and social ministry partners as well as reaching out to assess their needs at this time and responding as quickly as we can to their queries, particularly about grants, unemployment insurance and loans for nonprofits. We’ve connected Lutheran camps, colleges and seminary to the state emergency sheltering effort, and our feeding ministries to support from the state’s emergency feeding effort and shared ways those experiencing job loss or reduced hours can apply for benefits.

STANDING AGAINST HATE: Pa. synods and congregations signed a public letter calling for support of people of Asian Pacific descent in the face of COVID-related xenophobia and shared information from Pa. State Police for reporting anti-Asian Pacific American bigotry as part of our work with the Pa. Coalition Against Hate.

CENSUS2020: LAMPa is equipping our advocates to #GetouttheCount. See one of our youth and family directors share the message in Swahili in this video made to encourage all people to be counted, regardless of immigration status.

PA ELECTION REFORMS: LAMPa is sharing information about additional election reforms adopted in response to COVID-19 and monitoring progress on implementation before the primary – now scheduled for June 2.

---

Texas

Bee Moorhead, Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy texasimpact.org

COVID-19 RESPONSE: Texas Impact is resourcing local congregations to share best practices on how they are responding to meeting unmet needs in their local communities and how they can effectively advocate on behalf of vulnerable populations in their communities. Texas Impact has been sending Action Alerts and producing Weekly Witness podcasts on federal and state actions. The first Action Alert on the CARES Act generated about 200 telephone calls. This week, our E-News will focus on denominational leaders—including all three Texas ELCA bishops—clarifying that while theTexas Governor correctly identifies worship as an “essential service,” in-person worship is to be suspended during the COVID-19 crisis in favor of online and “drive-in” models.

TEXAS INTERFAITH ADVOCACY DAYS: Planning is underway for the 2021 Texas Interfaith Advocacy Days, scheduled for March 7-9.

---

Washington

Paul Benz, Faith Action Network (FAN) fanwa.org

COVID-19: As regulations, concerns, and information on federal stimulus packages change almost daily in light of COVID-19, FAN has sought to be a beakon of hope and a source of up-to-date information for our statewide partners. We have kept our communities connected by sharing faith services from a multitude of traditions as they move their services online, and Co-Director Paul Benz is working with the African American community and other heavily-impacted faith communities to find funding and resources to stream their services online. FAN has also signed on to letters and participated in action campaigns to release undocumented detainees from detention centers, as well as youth and adults in prison who have been convicted of nonviolent offenses, in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 in prisons and allow for social distancing. Our hearts go out to our partners around the country in this struggle to protect our communities.

CENSUS 2020: Census day was April 1, and FAN has been active in sharing the message that even in the midst of a national crisis, it’s never been easier to fill out your census! Data is starting to come in about which counties and communities are falling behind in their response to the census, and our statewide Census team will start to hone in on those historically-undercounted communities.

WASHINGTON STATE LEGISLATIVE SESSION: As Governor Inslee continues to sign bills into law, we celebrate the passage of 23 bills FAN worked on or supported in the 2020 legislative session. A few of the major successes include Courts Open to All (COTA) which prevents immigration agents from speaking with or arresting undocumented people at or around court houses, Sustainable Farms & Fields to incentivize carbon sequestration in agriculture, the creation of the Washington Office of Equity, and two bills that work to prohibit private detention in the state though they were greatly amended in their passage. See a full list of successes at fanwa.org/advocacy/legislative-agenda/

---

Wisconsin

Pastor Cindy Crane, Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin (LOPPW) loppw.org

CARE FOR GOD’S CREATION: LOPPW participated in a Wisconsin Climate Table meeting in Racine. Dr. David Rhoads, Greening Greater Racine, discussed working with car dealers and other businesses on sustainability and beginnings of developing hydrogen energy. Rep. Greta Neubauer discussed Governor Ever’s new task force on climate change and offered to be accessible to the Table members throughout the task forces hearings.

Pr. Cindy Crane began to prepare a presentation on climate change and COP25 for an East-Central Synod event before events like this one were canceled.

WEDNESDAY NOON LIVE: We interviewed Molly Dobberke Riehle, Executive Director of Centro Legal in Milwaukee. Molly talked about her work as a volunteer attorney at a detention center in Texas with AMMPARO. Cindy’s co-host Rev. Andy Twiton then discussed his experience at the border with the National ELCA Vitality Training. We began planning for a focus on the Coronavirus and Racism as our theme for April.

IMMIGRATION: LOPPW met with the director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference and discussed our possible actions to support our Hmong and Laotian neighbors in Wisconsin.

VOTING: LOPPW contacted youth leaders and clergy to promote recruitment of poll workers. We cancelled our project and shifted our focus to encouraging people to vote early and created this video: https://www.facebook.com/LOPPW/videos/2712099135526073/

We also began advocating for the change of election time.

CHANGED FOCUS—COVID-19: LOPPW is participating in conference calls with Lt. Governor about how the state can assist faith-based groups, especially in light of how they provide services. In one call, we received details of what the Governor’s Safer at Home Order meant for churches. LOPPW made details known broadly.

We are also building awareness of statements and resources related to public benefits from the Governor’s office and D.C. and sending action alerts related to being inclusive of those most vulnerable in public policies.

 

 

 

Today’s post is written by Elaine Ramshaw, PhD, an ELCA laywoman, the author of Ritual and Pastoral Care and The Godparent Book (just out in a revised edition). She has studied the literature on ritual for transitions in the fields of liturgical studies, anthropology and family therapy.

There’s a fair amount of advice out there on what to do about funerals or memorial services during the current “stay at home” shutdown, including this. Often people are encouraged to plan for a memorial service whenever that becomes possible. The process of planning for such a service later on in bereavement can itself be an opportunity for doing some of the work of grieving. Pastors and others can participate in this planning through conversations with family and friends of the deceased, possibly by conference call or videoconference call.

There’s another piece to ritual care for grieving people in the current situation, though: helping them create home ritual that fills some part of the need for more immediate ritual. This would be especially helpful when there is not any church-based ritual right away, or when a service is held but mourners you’re caring for cannot attend due to distance, illness, possibly having been exposed, susceptibility to infection, or the limitation on how many can gather.

The possibility of having an informal memorial service at home would not occur to many in your congregation who think of after-death ritual as something that happens only in church or a funeral home, led by professionals. While they might come up with innovative ways to ritualize a birthday or other happy event, they are less likely to imagine that they are capable of creating a rite of mourning. In some cases, all you have to do is bring up the possibility and people will run with it!

To assist those who are grieving create a rite of morning for the home, you’ll need to provide them with two types of guidance:

• Flexible suggestions for ritual actions they might do at home
• Elements of the church’s ritual they can incorporate into their home ritual.

This second aspect—bringing elements of the church’s ritual into the home—likely comes more naturally to many of us than the first. Provide them with suggestions for suitable prayers, biblical readings and songs. In addition to favorite, comforting hymns and hymns from the “Hope, Assurance” section of Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW), consider hymns from the “Holy Baptism” section and the “Lament” section. (Note that ELW 698 and 703 are set to familiar tunes even if the texts are not well-known). If you can make and they can play recordings, a hymn/played by a musician they know will connect them to their local congregation in more immediate ways than a recording found on YouTube. For a repetitive song like “Come and fill our hearts” (ELW 528) or “Calm to the waves” (ELW 794), the accompaniment can be repeated five or six times. Biblical readings could combine the promises of God with some image that reflects the life of the deceased, e.g., Zechariah 8:3-6 for a kids’ sports coach. Prayers could include psalms and prayers from the funeral service, including perhaps the comforting and familiar “into your hands” commendation (ELW p. 283).

Under the current strange circumstances, though, the first category of resources—ritual actions at home— may be even more important, since people are often denied the usual ritual ways to say goodbye. Below are three simple ritual activities that could help mourners symbolize their loss, begin to come to terms with the reality of the death, and embark on their grief work.

• Hold a simple at-home memorial service. Ask everyone to come up with a favorite memory of the person who died and select an object that represents that memory. Place a photo of the person who died on a table with a candle next to it. Begin by lighting the candle as someone leads a prayer. Each person tells their story and places the object on the table next to the photograph. When all the stories have been shared, close by singing a favorite song or sharing a food that recalls the one who died.

If a mourner lives alone or if one household wants to join virtually with another for this ritual, each household could have its own photo and candle. This could be done on videophone; videoconferencing (e.g. Zoom) is also possible, though you can’t sing or speak together due to the time offset.

•  If the mourner(s) didn’t get a chance to say goodbye as the person was dying, they might be invited to write a letter to the one who died, saying those things they wish they had been able to say. Young children may draw a picture of what they’d like to say. These letters may then be destroyed in some way, as a way of letting go of at least a piece of the regret. (Make sure the child knows and is OK with this!) Depending on what’s possible in the home situation, the letters may be burned or buried. An adaptation of the second prayer for peace on ELW p. 76 might fit here:

Gracious and holy God, lead us from death to life, from falsehood to truth. Lead us from despair to hope, from fear to trust. Lead us from shame to grace, from regret to peace. Let peace fill our hearts, our homes, our world; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Again, the ritual can end with a song or with eating a food that recalls the one who died. This ritual is one that a person could do alone or with others.

•  Another ritual of goodbye suitable for a solitary mourner as well as for a small group involves finding two physical symbols of the deceased, one the mourner wants to keep and one they are willing to let go. The symbols could be possessions of the one who died or gifts or cards which the mourner received from them.

This two-part ritual embodies the necessity of letting go of the person as we knew them in this world while underscoring and treasuring what remains. During the first part of the ritual, one of these symbols is destroyed (torn up, burned, buried, set adrift) with a prayer and/or song of farewell. The farewell song could be, for example, ELW 222 or 223, a hymn from the “lament” section, or a favorite lullaby.

The second part of the ritual involves taking the other of the two symbols and placing it in a place of honor in the home—perhaps a prayer place set up for the purpose with a candle and other symbols—or if it’s something that can be worn, on one’s person. This could be accompanied by playing/singing one of the favorite songs of the person who died.

These home ritual suggestions at the time of death are not intended to replace the church’s funeral/memorial service. The church didn’t invent the human action of gathering to say goodbye to the dead; there is a deep human need to say goodbye and to be reassured that there will be a way to move on. When we cannot do this with the body of the deceased and/or in community, we are helped by other ways to make the loss real and begin the work of mourning at home.

I reside in a high-rise apartment building in a racailly and ethically diverse Chicago suburb. My neighbors are American Indian, Black, Puerto Rican, Russian, Assyrian, Asian, Greek and White. We are food service workers, stay at home parents, people with disabilities, college students, musicians, health care professionals, engineers, and retirees. We are families with young children, adults caring for aging parents and adults living alone. We are Muslim, Jewish, Christian, atheist, spiritual and not religious. We are mix of experiences, beliefs, racial groups, ethnic identities sexual orientations and gender expressions. Yet, with all this diversity around me, I was astounded when a neighbor texted an anti-Asian meme to my cell.  I quickly replied back with a concern for her text and the growing anti-Asian sentiment spreading in this country. I have a feeling that I am not alone. Perhaps you have experienced something similar from a friend, a neighbor or relative. You heard the ping of an incoming text, and there it was—a joke, a meme , a  comment from someone that you know, like or love that was racist. I’m not only talking about those only in the dominant white group. It also happens horizontally among and between people of color. Each of us can perpetuate and contribute to the spreading of racist memes, jokes or comments. I call it everyday racism.

With all of us sheltering-in place and social distancing, our reliance on social media, texting and the internet is vital to our existence. We need these platforms to escape the endless news cycles of fear and uncertainty. We need these platforms for comic relief. We need these platforms for our online worship experiences for feeling gathered while we are scattered. As much as I enjoy interacting across these platforms, they can also be sources of threat and harm. The Covid-19 pandemic has heightened anti-Asian racism. Jokes, memes, comments and inaccurate information are responsible for perpetuating negative stereotypes that fuel distrust, anger and fear of and for Asian American lives. In one week, more than 650 Asian-Americans reported acts of racism and discrimination in the online reporting forum #StopAAPIHate. The reports include incidents of verbal harassment; vandalism of property; refusal of service from ride share drivers; to violent physical assaults. Unfortunately, anti-Asian racism is not new. It is baked in U.S. history. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 excluded Chinese immigrants from coming to the U.S. and excluded Chinese nationalist living in the U.S. from becoming citizens. During World War II, 120,000 Japanese Americans were uprooted from their homes and forced into internment camps. Even today, many Asian Americans are still stereotyped as the perpetual foreigner, even though they trace their American roots back generations.

I may not be a person of Asian descent, but I am a Black woman.  I know what everyday racism and sexism feel like. Right now, our siblings in Christ, friends, neighbors, leaders of Asian descent need to know that they are not alone.   Asian American healthcare professionals, teachers, first responders, food service works, pastors, scientists, and volunteers are serving during this pandemic. Many placing their lives at risk in fighting this virus. They don’t need further threats of violence, discrimination or messages of hate.

Our ELCA Baptismal covenant calls us “…to serve all people, following the example of Jesus; and Strive for justice and peace in all the earth.” Confronting racism isn’t easy. Especially when it involves people that we like, love or live next door.  If you see or hear something…say something. Let them know how their words or actions made you feel and that you don’t respond to messages that devalue and cause harm.  If you see something online, flag it. Let social media platforms know that everyone should feel safe online. Lastly, we don’t have to do this alone. Time and time again members across this church have shown up for racial justice. We have marched together for #BlackLivesMatter. We’ve stood shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with our Muslim neighbors. We’ve accompanied migrant minors at the southern border. We’ve condemned white supremacy and declared ourselves a sanctuary denomination.

We have been here before….now, let’s do it again.

 

 

 

By guest blogger Dr. Ryan LaHurd, retired Lutheran leader in higher education
and member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Chicago, Ill.

 

Joshua Jipp argues in Saved by Faith and Hospitality that the God of Scripture is a God of hospitality, a God who extends hospitality to all and who requires, in turn, that we embody hospitality to our neighbor. God’s hospitality to us is the basis for ours. To persons of Arab heritage, this observation is no surprise.

 

Bedrock value of hospitality

Hospitality is a bedrock value in Arabic culture. Anthropologists say it probably arose from the harsh desert conditions in the Middle East and the need to offer food, drink and rest to travelers who might appear at your dwelling. Without hospitality such visitors could die. So important is this value for Arab Christians and Muslims that it has become ritualized. You will get pretty much the same treatment in the home of any Arab or Arab-American.

No sooner is someone greeted at the door and seated in the most comfortable surroundings the host has than drinks and snacks — usually coffee or tea, nuts, dried fruits and sweets — are served. No amount of protestation or arguing that you are not hungry can prevent a drink being poured and your plate being filled for you. Ultimately, Arabs will do everything in their power to make guests feel at home, which also means: “no” isn’t an answer.

Karam, the Arabic term for generosity, signifies treating guests with the utmost kindness and honor. Failing to do so brings shame upon the host. If the host has to do without later because of sharing with a guest, the host feels proud of being selfless. Indeed, a guest is anyone who comes your way in need.

The shared geography and similar cultures of the Hebrew Bible, New Testament and Quran are evidenced in their stories of hospitality. Abraham and Sarah’s entertaining the strangers who turned out to be angels, the widow who gave the last of her food to Elijah, Jesus at the Cana wedding and Martha’s preparing food are among the hospitality stories in the Jewish and Christian traditions. The Quran contains the story of Abraham, who greeted his strange guests, “Then he turned quickly to his household, brought out a roasted fattened calf, and placed it before them. He said: ‘Will you not eat?'”* The Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad also enjoin Muslims to practice hospitality to strangers.

 

Practicing hospitality from a distance

In this time of national crisis, it is uplifting to see evidence of people from many faith traditions joining to extend generosity and hospitality to strangers and friends. Stories about interfaith groups advocating for the needs of the most vulnerable and supplying them with food and necessities fill the media. It is the least we can do. As Christine Pohl, author of Living into Community, has said: “A life of hospitality begins in worship, with a recognition of God’s grace and generosity. Hospitality is not first a duty and responsibility; it is first a response of love and gratitude for God’s love and welcome to us.”

Fortunately, hospitality can be practiced from a distance as well, as the current crisis situation requires. We can provide food for others by donations of funds until we can sit together. We can advocate for those who have not been invited into the health care system. We can support and recognize those extending heroic hospitality through care of the sick and providing needed supplies to those who must stay at home. We can welcome with our hearts and resources for now, if not with our arms and homes.

 

---

* Surat adh-Dhariyat: 24-27

Our guest blogger, Dr. Ryan A. LaHurd, formerly served as president of Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, N.C. in 2002, which is an ELCA higher education institution. Dr. LaHurd, an Arab-American of Lebanese ancestry, has served as a teacher, administrator, author and leader in many capacities, including with the ELCA Association of Lutherans of Arab and Middle Eastern Heritage.

The Word

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. ¹⁵ And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”

¹⁷ After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. ¹⁸ For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

¹⁹ And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

²⁰ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.²¹

Luke 22: 14-20

The Now

It is bizarre that “on the night in which he was betrayed” Jesus didn’t use his time to do something more productive. He didn’t rally the troops or lay out some grand strategy. He didn’t write a manifesto or plan some grand final demonstration. He sat down with his friends and shared a meal. What good is a meal when you know how bad things are about to get?

We are on the brink of the most severe losses from the coronavirus outbreak in the US and social distancing, as necessary as it is, is taking its toll on people’s jobs and at least my mental health. Tropical Cyclone Harold is smashing through Fiji and Vanatu, highlighting the fact that extreme weather driven by climate change isn’t slowing down for us. Looking around, it’s hard to think that things aren’t about to get much worse. Maundy Thursday (the day in the church we remember this “Last Supper” gathering of Jesus and the disciples) feels especially real to me this year.

The Normal

The weird thing about Jesus’ last supper with his friends is how completely normal it is. They are together with their traveling companions, celebrating the same festival their people have celebrated for centuries, and sharing one of humanity’s most common meals: bread and wine. If it weren’t for what follows, this meal would be unremarkable to the point of being boring. And that’s the beauty of what Jesus does in this upper room. Jesus takes normalcy, the basic elements of community, history, food, and drink, and braids them together into something holy. He doesn’t leave us with some complicated and expensive ritual for the hard days to come—that wouldn’t do. Instead, he invites us to sit down with strangers and the people we love, share a simple meal together, and pause to remember that, even in those seemingly mundane moments, the Spirit of God is standing in our midst.

#NoPlasticsforLent

I am terrified by the challenges we face. I worry that I am not enough to confront them on my own and that nothing short of a miracle will be able to save me. But Jesus tells us, “on the night in which he was betrayed,” that we have exactly what we need. Throughout the No Plastics for Lent campaign I’ve seen people sharing the small, holy ways that they pay attention to the world around them and I’ve gotten so much hope from the small and the holy. Thank you for walking this journey with me, and I look forward to breaking bread with you.

Discussion Questions

• What are some “normal” things that remind you of God?
• How has being in community helped you with your care for creation and one-another? How has that evolved in the present moment?
• What are some daily rhythms that you’ve learned through No Plastics for Lent that you want to make a normal part of your life?
• Where do you find comfort when the world is overwhelming?

Baird Linke lives in the Twin Cities where he works with Calvary Lutheran Church as their director of faith formation and community engagement. He’s a nerd for ecology, theology, the outdoors, and running. He currently studies with Wartburg Theological Seminary.

Just as we entered Holy Week 2020, we heard some of the most grim news from U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who told the American people on Palm Sunday that “this [week] is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment” as COVID-19 infections continue to rise. Many leading public health officials have described the week of April 5, 2020 (Holy Week), as potentially the hardest and saddest week of increased deaths related to the coronavirus. This pandemic has affected the entire world in very alarming ways. It has also continued to spike the globally uncured diseases of racism and xenophobia. The University Health Services at the University of California, Berkeley recently retracted a statement (@tangcentercal) advising students that “xenophobia: fears about interacting with those who might be from Asia and guilt about these feelings” is a normal or common reaction. This shows the high level of insensitivity and present-day normalization of racism even from a school whose demographics report that more than 30% of the student body is of Asian descent. This institution’s culture and ethics in communication should be far above the curve for understanding racism of any kind as an unacceptable reaction to this pandemic. But like many institutions, it continued to be complicit in the propagation of systematic and systemic racism. This must stop, especially at a time when we are finding that people of color are and will be affected fatally by this pandemic at disproportional rates.

In fact, Propublica.org reported that early data shows African Americans have contracted and died of coronavirus at an alarming rate. In the very city that hosted the African Descent Lutheran Association’s (ADLA) August 2019 Biennial Assembly (Milwaukee, Wis.), African Americans made up almost half of Milwaukee County’s 945 coronavirus cases and 81% of its 27 deaths in a county whose population is only 26% black (as of April 3, 2020). This level of disproportionate rates of infection and death is a direct result of economic, political and environmental factors that have been growing for decades. These factors, along with so many other sociological trends, have put black people at higher risk of chronic conditions that leave immune systems vulnerable and battling pre-existing illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, HIV and asthma.

ADLA has ramped up advocacy efforts to pressure the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to release race data related to the coronavirus. The CDC typically tracks widespread demographic data with all virulent outbreaks but has provided little information about race during this current pandemic. This data is and will continue to be important to address racism and other disparities to health care access. If this Holy Week 2020 will begin the deadliest season (to date) of this pandemic, then the United States will experience a devastating loss of black lives. Now more than ever we must be reminded that Black Lives Matter.

We must also acknowledge that government and religious leaders have requested and strongly encouraged the nation to “shelter in place” and remain at home. However, that becomes a very privileged request when many people do not have the same levels of resources with which to do so. For instance, imposing curfews, demanding lockdowns, or even expecting people to stay at home without canceling their rent, helping them secure adequate food and meet all other related bills is an unjust request. With the rise in unemployment, this pandemic has created a greater wealth divide in access to basic income and adequate housing for all. The CARES Act and stimulus package(s) will assist some people in this season but will not greatly protect the most vulnerable, who are at higher risks related to this pandemic.

Holy Week 2020 should bring us all into a greater understanding of the realities of death and access to life in our nation and world. We as people of faith easily grasp the understanding that Jesus died for all of our sins and brings us to eternal redemption. He did it so that we might have life and that life more abundantly (John 10:10). We are reminded that God so loved the world and God gave us Jesus so that we wouldn’t perish but have access to eternal life. In the same way we celebrate access to a better life with Jesus, we must claim access to health care as a human right that provides a better life for all. This COVID-19 pandemic is uncovering major disparities in access to health care. With the rising death tolls, we need high-quality public health care that is guaranteed to all and not just as a private marketplace.

Many of the sociological trends (health, economic, etc.) affecting people of color globally and nationally can easily be seen among the participants, members and leaders of color in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. For far too long, we have watched our friends and colleagues (especially of African descent) die or grow gravely ill because of health conditions such as those mentioned above. The economic inequities among many of the ELCA’s congregations often reveal the most impoverished communities having to do so much more with fewer resources. Many rostered leaders of color are still struggling to pay health insurance premiums and deductibles out of meager church budgets and inconsistent paychecks. We as a church can do so much more to reverse these trends and inequities. We need to continue to increase our support and advocacy for people of color who are disproportionately affected by this pandemic and are in critical need of help. Let’s take up this cross that we bear right now in 2020 and follow Jesus, who has led us to a better life for all.

Rev. Lamont Anthony Wells is the Program Director for LuMin/ Campus Ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). LuMin is a network of over 240 colleges and universities. He is also the National President of the African Descent Lutheran Association (ELCA).
Pastor Wells is a graduate of Morehouse College and the Interdenominational Theological Center, both in Atlanta, Ga; and has studied at Harvard, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, and Cornell University.
As a dynamic speaker, Rev. Wells is frequently called to share prophetic messages of ecumenism and social justice which motivates him as a leader and community organizer.

#ELCAChurchTogether

 

Ending hunger goes beyond providing calories. The ministry of ELCA World Hunger and the work we support together is about recognizing the significance of food and the ways it can bring us together with one another, with God, and with all of creation. In the sacrament Christ initiated on Maundy Thursday, we glimpse what the banquet table God has promised for our future might look like. Today, with churches closed and many fasting from the sacrament until we can be together again, the story of the first Maundy Thursday is particularly poignant. It reminds us of God’s presence at the many tables we dine at, and it reminds us of the powerful way God’s gift of food can bring us together in anticipation of that day when all will be fed.

In this spirit, Pastor Tim Brown offers a plan for an intentional meal at home for Maundy Thursday. Pr. Tim is a Gifts Officer and Mission Ambassador for the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and a pastor and writer out of Raleigh, NC. You are invited to use the message below for personal devotion as well as prompts for sermon writing. 

Maundy Thursday Family Feast

Below is a full reflection with additional ideas. Here is a quick guide you can print and follow with your family: Family Maundy Thursday Quick Guide

Maundy Thursday is an observance of intention.  The word “maundy” is taken from “maundatum” or “mandate,” where Jesus commands his followers to love one another.

The whole observance is a story in three parts: confession and forgiveness, acts of service, and a meal of love.  For an adapted family service around the table, a simple prayer will suffice for confession and forgiveness on this night and will open the observance with sacred empty space.  The washing and meal that follow can be done with as much joy or as much solemnity as your family dynamics dictate.  Remember that the point of this observance is not to feel anything in particular, but rather to participate in a larger story that these holy days narrate.

It’s also important to note that, while your family meal is certainly sacred, this is not the Sacrament of Holy Communion and not a “Christian Seder.”  This is recalling what every Eucharist reminds us: every shared meal is ordinary and extraordinary, and Christ is present in our gathering whenever we dine in fellowship.

Decide What You Want to Eat for Dinner

So, what should you eat for dinner? Frankly, you’re welcome to eat whatever you’d most enjoy on this night.  If you want a more traditional Middle Eastern meal, not unlike the food Jesus may have eaten, grapes, dates, figs, olives, and some crusty bread are good additions to the table if everyone enjoys them. Perhaps some crackers and hummus, too. But if these aren’t in your usual diet or don’t agree with your palate, the point is not to re-enact a meal, but to have a meal, together. Eat what you’d like.

If, as part of your Holy Week observance you’ve made some bread, enjoy that on this night. Bread-baking as a family is a time-honored tradition that spans cultures and ages. Remember to enjoy the gathering, don’t sweat the details too much and just do everything with intention.

Gather Around the Table

To begin, gather the family together around the table, standing or seated. Invite everyone to take a deep breath and quiet themselves.  Light some candles to use as a centerpiece for the table if you have them. If using candles is unwise, or they aren’t available, just take some time to be quiet in God’s presence.

Talk Together

After a while, invite everyone to share their favorite memory that involves a meal. It could be a favorite dish from childhood, a time they shared food with someone at school or on a trip, a special event that they attended, or even a perennial meal they enjoy. What do they enjoy about it? Why?

Pray Together

Then, invite someone to offer a prayer with these, or similar, words. Note that the prayer should both give thanks for the gift of shared meals and food and also acknowledge that we too often ignore the hungry around us.  In this way the prayer is both an act of praise and confession.

“Gracious God, you give us good things to eat and invite us to share with one another.  Thank you for the many ways you feed our minds, feed our hearts, and the very real ways you feed our bellies each day. We also know that we do not share our food, our minds, and our hearts in the ways that you would have us.  For the ways we don’t give of ourselves and our resources, we ask you forgiveness.  And for the many ways you sustain us, we give you thanks.  On this holy night when Jesus shared his last meal with his friends, we remember the great gift it is to eat and spend time with one another. Thank you for this meal, for this holy night, and for all your gifts. Amen.”

Wash Each Other’s Feet or Hands

Invite everyone to be seated with their chairs facing outward, away from the table. Have a bowl of substantial size nearby, like a mixing bowl, a pitcher or larger cup of warm water and a towel for drying.

Invite someone to read John 13:1-17, the story of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. After you’ve read the story, say the following (or something like it):

“On this night we have heard our Lord’s commandment to love one another as he has loved us. We who receive God’s love in Jesus Christ are called to love one another, to be servants to each other as Jesus became our servant. Our commitment to this loving service is signified in the washing of feet, following the example our Lord gave us on this night.”

Then invite each family member, in turn, to wash one foot of another member of the family, carefully drying it.  Only one foot is necessary, and each person should take a turn. If foot washing is not preferable, you can do hand washing instead, though there is something particularly special and intimate about foot washing.

If you’re performing this ritual with children, it’s natural for them to laugh and giggle during this. This is OK! This night should be about enjoyment as much as it is about sacred acts. Often, they are one and the same. During the foot-washing, it’s appropriate to sing if your family is a singing family. “Come by Here” is a great option, or even just a verse of a familiar song like “Amazing Grace” or “Jesus Loves Me” works well.

After foot-washing, you can invite people to wash their hands and turn their chairs to face back toward the table for the meal.

Eat Together

After everyone is seated and ready, enjoy the meal! Invite people to share reflections about their day, or perhaps ask them what they liked or didn’t like about the foot washing. You can ask those gathered what love means, how they like to best express love, and what the most beautiful act of love they’ve ever seen was.

Tell the Story Together

Toward the end of the meal, but before you’re completely done, invite everyone to quiet back down as you tell the story of the meal portion of the last supper. During this part, I encourage you not to lift up any bread or wine, but if there is bread on the table or a drink, you can reference it as a reminder of the meal. Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, recalling Jesus’ last supper.

Then say these words, or something similar:

“Tonight we have participated in a supper like Jesus’ last as his disciples gathered together around him.  The Gospels tell us that after supper Jesus and his disciples sang a hymn together and went out to the Mount of Olives.  You’ll be given a few minutes to eat just a bit more and have another few sips, and then we’ll begin cleaning up quietly, without any loud talking, taking any dishes to the kitchen sink, wiping down tables, and sweeping up. Everyone gets to help.  After we clean up, we’re going to stay pretty quiet the rest of the night to honor this holy night.”

Clean Up

Invite everyone to clean up quietly. On this night where it’s tradition to strip the altar and take everything out of the sanctuary, you may want to take your clean up a little farther by sweeping the whole room, washing down the tables and chairs and countertops, and even keeping the table free from adornments like table cloths or candles. Make everything bare.

After the clean-up is done, invite everyone back around the table for a final prayer saying these words, or something similar:

“I’m glad we got to share this time together tonight!  As we remember Jesus’ last meal, let’s keep honoring it by spending some time together. But before we do that, let’s pray, ‘Thank you, God, for this most holy night, and for Jesus’ example of love.  Help us to love each other, and ourselves, as you love us, and may we always remember the deep love shown through Jesus, a love that will do anything for us. Give us a holy rest tonight, a sweet sleep, so that we may rise to praise you in the morning. Amen.”

Enjoy a Quiet Night Together

Then decide on a family how you will spend the rest of the night! You can read quietly together, or maybe read aloud all from one book. You can play a family game together, listen to music, or if it’s getting late for young children, a bath and story-time is very appropriate. In these days of shelter-in-place when screen-time has probably been at a premium, this is a perfect night to keep all screens off and keep visual distractions to a minimum, including phone distractions.

A Maundy Thursday service in the home should both feel distinct from a normal night routine, and also very familiar. After all, Jesus’ last supper was, at its heart, a simple meal with his friends. Though this Maundy Thursday doesn’t look like many in our lifetime, it can still honor the holiness of the night when done with a little preparation, intention, and a lot of sacred joy.

Bob Chell, Sioux Falls, SD

Warm-up Question

What long term changes do you think there will be as a result of our current covid-19 crisis?

Life Changing

Covid-19 is changing everything.  Each day brings another milestone:  3.3 million people apply for unemployment in a single week.  Congress approves a 2.2 trillion dollar bailout with bipartisan support.  Relentlessly increasing numbers of estimated deaths in the United States before the pandemic subsides– 100,ooo, 200,00, or even more.

Businesses shuttered.  Churches dark.  Every trip outside the house involves a calculus of risk.  With familiar activities proscribed Americans are scrambling to find new ways to educate, worship, connect, and calm their anxiety.

Nobody can say with any certainty how the crisis will affect the country over the long term.  But some historians believe it will be a defining moment in our history.  Will it draw us together or exacerbate the divisions which were there before?  Will we race to get back to “normal” when the crisis is over or will there be radical changes in the health care system, the relationship of state and federal government, and how businesses operate supply chains?  In the unfolding drama no one knows how the last act will unfold, but everyone agrees that the pandemic has been life changing in the present.

Discussion Questions

• Will changes be more positive or negative?
• How much of this impact is due to our attitude?
• How much of this attitude is due to our actions?
• What is one specific change you want to see in your own life as a result of this pandemic?

Resurrection of Our Lord

Acts 10:34-43

Colossians 3:1-4

Matthew 28:1-10

John 20:1-18. (alternate)

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings.

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

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.” (John 20:19)

This verse from the end of John’s Easter story seems particularly apt for our current situation as we practice social distancing and self quarantining. In the midst of uncertainty and fear, we long for peace.

Both the wilderness and the resurrection are archetypal stories. An archetype is an original model after which other similar things are patterned. Each of us spends time in the wilderness.  Relationships end, loved ones die, careers change, and pandemic sweeps the world. We experience new birth as well, resurrection, often following these same wilderness experiences.

St. Paul writes in Romans 8:28, “ We know that in everything God works for good with those who love God…” God can, and has, brought good, even great, out of the worst that has happened in our lives.  But the pain of death, disease, and devastation remain.

In the first centuries following the resurrection Christians struggled, worked, and argued to understand God’s in-breaking into history. By the year 390 Christians had distilled the faith into the Apostle’s Creed, a succinct summary of the faith: God created us, Jesus redeemed us, the Holy Spirit sustains us. That’s my shorthand way of saying it, but the creed’s words are carefully chosen and specific. The creed ends saying, “I believe in…the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”

The current pandemic has ripped the illusion that we can fully understand and control the world in which we live.  That which we took to be solid and dependable crumbles beneath our feet.

Science can explain some things, yet science cannot fully capture the great mysteries of life, both good and bad:   the love between two people, untimely death, the beauty of a blooming flower,  music which touches our soul, why some sacrifice for neighbors and others hoard.

Theologians and scientists plumb the mysteries of faith and life, but our intellect can’t fully deliver the answers we seek. God has gifted us with faith to reconcile the paradox that Christ has conquered but suffering remains. It is faith which enables us to let go of our fear and anxiety to cling to the promise of the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.  Faith calls us to make a choice, to choose trust in God over anxiety.

When students choose one school over another they are denying a multitude of futures and limiting themselves to one place. If two people commit their lives to each other they are denying themselves the possibility of other committed relationships. As persons choose one career over another they are un-choosing all the others.  Yet it is this choosing, this faith, which opens up possibility, meaning, and peace which those who dither can never know.

If you are not scared of what lies ahead on your life’s journey there will be a day when you are. When that day comes cling to the Easter promise, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Choose trust.  You are a beloved child of God and nothing in this world or the next will change that.

St. Paul says it better than I: For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Discussion Questions

• What have you committed to in your life—and what did you give up in making this commitment?
• This Easter is more like the first Easter than most years, what insight does this give you into your faith and life?
• Many things are beyond our control but not all things. What change will you make in your life because of this coronavirus Easter?

Activity Suggestion

Who you know who is most affected by the present pandemic?  Do something which will ease their anxiety.  For example, call someone who is particularly isolated. or take groceries or medicine to someone who is at high risk if they go out.

Closing Prayer

God the coronavirus has made us aware of the fragility of our lives and our world. We know every breath we take is a gift from you, yet we do not live with constant awareness of this. Strengthen our faith, so we do not take your love and the blessings of life for granted. Give safe health to our loved ones and comfort those who grieve. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.