COMING HOME TO A NEW NORMAL

We’re used to the seasons changing – in fact, we live our lives by such changes.  The barrenness of winter gives way to the buds of spring, the glories of summer, and the splendor of autumn.  (Or for the major league sports-minded, football leads into hockey and basketball and then baseball.)  Even in Christianity, we move through the seasons as we tell the story of Christ and his Church: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and so forth.  The procession of seasons helps shape our understandings of who we are and how the world works.  We’re used to the seasons changing, and we’re not quite sure what to do when they come to a screeching halt.

That’s what happened last March with the onset of COVID-19 as it arrested our seasonal rituals: we became unsure of who we were all of the sudden, uncertain of how things would be.  The panic, spike in transmission, the lockdown, the summer breakdown of discipline, more spikes, more questions, more of the same hopes and failures met together – all of these have become “The New Normal” and no one is happy about it.  The price has been too high already.  We’ve lost members, family, friends, neighbors, and sense of community.  We’ve lost our sense of time and season.  And we don’t want to lose our spirits any more than we want to lose our sense of Spirit.

It seems we are in the season of “Coronatide” for the long haul, now.  Different congregations have wrestled it in different ways, with some pretending like nothing has changed and others praying for things to change back.  When and how Coronatide will come to an end is unknown, but we do know that it’s not going away anytime soon.  And so rather than put Church on pause, Union Avenue has been working hard since early March to ensure that our being and doing Church continues.  We improvise and adapt, innovate and assess, keep going what we can and what works well, all while trying new things to see if they stick and letting go of what isn’t working for us right now.  It’s been messy.  It’s been frustrating.  It’s been inspiring.  It’s been Church in all it’s glorious imperfection, spontaneous gumption, and resilient generosity.

This is the time to wander with God through the wilderness rather than wait for the wilderness to come to an end on its own.  Since we can’t ignore our New Normal, we need some spiritual practices to help us keep our bearings, reorient ourselves to the walk of faith, and point us in the direction of discipleship.  After all, the call to follow Jesus isn’t dependent upon a vaccine to take effect.  And so this fall, we are having a spiritual homecoming that will help equip us with the tools of faith to get us through Coronatide and get us back on track to see God’s working to turn the world right-side up.  We’ll be focusing on prayer and presence and appreciation, our connection with Creator and Creation and Creature, our covenant of love that brings us together for joy and renewal, our compassion and care for others as we seek to reconcile and heal a broken land, country, and social contract in this time of fear and division.  It may not be the Homecoming we remember, but it’s the spiritual homecoming we need – and it will be one to remember, for sure! 

Be smart, be safe, and be well.  My love be with you all in Christ Jesus.  “See” you at Homecoming and the labor of spiritual harvest to come.

Soli Deo Gloria, Rev. Michael