Hello my dear
I pray you well. There are still folks who question whether there is more to the pandemic because of the wide scale unified measures to address it. I don’t have those answers. But I do know persons who have lived through it and are still trying to discover their rhythm. They wish it on no one – not even their worst enemy! And, like the response to terminal diseases, Covid-19 has resulted in some considering what is truly important. With that, I urge us to consider today’s Holy Nougat
“Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.”
Hebrews 12:15 NLT
How do we look after each other in an era of social/physical distancing? Yes, I have heard the arguments about physical versus social distancing; but I would also argue that social distancing came with the proliferation of social media usage. So much so that friends could be in the same physical space and Choose to communicate via instant messages. That to me is a sign of social distancing – where people and their physical, emotional and spiritual needs are secondary to the need to post online. And so, videos of heinous actions go viral, with no sign of willingness to engage (or be engaged) in the act of providing real time assistance to another. One could argue that with each now layer of distancing, there is another degree of superficiality that ensues in the public sphere.
Again I wonder, how do we extend care in times such as these?
Perhaps one way to start is to actively engage with those in our sphere. To listen in the Spirit so that we hear the deeper issues. Listening in the Spirit means that we are attuned to God’s Spirit at all times, so that we hear and see beyond the surface. It also implies the innate desire to care for others as much as ourselves. By looking after each other, we make room for God’s presence to be revealed to a dying and broken world. Literally and figuratively.
The challenge comes (as a good friend once reminded me), with recognizing that our call to care is extended to those within our faith communities and those on the ‘outside’. Especially when we have been hurt or offend by the one we are asked to care for. I know some folks who have done that; and I can see Christ’s Spirit emanating from them. Often from a distance (after time has passed or they have been removed from direct danger), but caring nevertheless.
Covid-19 has enforced all kinds of measures on us; Christ’s measure remains the same – love each other as we have been loved by Christ. Can we do that? In the name of Jesus, will we do it? In Christ’s love and grace . . .
