About ten years, ago our family spent a week on the campus of Buena Vista College for an event called Synod School. There was another small group on campus that week, of Japanese students, for a separate event. One of those students wore a mask whenever we would see her in the cafeteria or other common areas. It was an odd thing to see. Until then, the only time we might have seen someone wearing a mask was in a hospital setting or perhaps in news footage of a city that was smog-infested. And, it bothered some people, for reasons that were not entirely clear, though perhaps xenophobic in nature.
What a difference ten years makes! What a difference the last year has made! Now the roles have been reversed and people practice the “stare of shame” for those who either refuse to wear a mask or who think a mask over their chin or short of their nose is somehow magically effective. For the better part of a year our social lives, family gatherings, work, play, and even worship have been shaped by a rapidly spreading and often-deadly coronavirus, which has forced us to adopt new norms. We don’t need to recount the number of changes that we have all had to make, either joyfully, willingly, or kicking and screaming. We don’t need to rehearse the devastating effects the shutdowns and other precautions have brought about on businesses, particularly small businesses with slim profit margins to rely on. We mourn together the losses and near-losses that every single family in America has known. And we don’t need reminding that one of the less enviable consequences of our mutual concerns has been the creation and perpetuation of misleading stories, misread “facts,” and fears masqueraded as bravado. It has been a trying year, to put it very mildly.
But, there is light at the end of this tunnel. It is dim and it is distant, but it is in sight. Between the vaccinations that are available, the “herd immunity” that we get from vaccines and other forms of antibody development, and the best practices that we have developed, we do hope that we will attain some semblance of renewal in the future. I am hesitant to say anything about “when,” since I remember last year during Lent I was imagining that we’d be through the worst of it by Pentecost. We were not. We are, in fact, still in the worst of it right now. But still, there is hope. For now, we will continue to be the church in our moment of distancing, we will continue to err on the side of caution, we will continue to listen to the science and embrace best practices, and we will plan our steps so that we can move into our newness of life when the way is clear. To that end, here are some practical steps that I encourage you to take.
1. Be patient.
2. Get vaccinated. If you have serious reservations about vaccinations in general, I am not trying to disregard your feelings, although I disagree with them. I do, however, want to encourage those of you who have been holding back so that others can get their’s first. The rollout nationally has been so mishandled that your good intentions simply do not ensure that someone more needy or worthy is next in line. So, perhaps you can think of it as good selfishness. You are taking it on the arm so that others may breathe more freely.
3. Be patient. The problem with patience is that when we practice it we are often rewarded with simply more opportunities to keep practicing it.
4. Ask for help. We have a church member who has successfully helped some neighbors navigate the process of signing up for a vaccine and we have folks who can help with transportation and accompany you. And if you know of someone else who needs this kind of community support, please ask. Call the church office, explain what you need, and we will find the right person who can respond to the best of our ability.
5. And finally, be patient. The problem with patience is that when we practice it we are often rewarded with simply more opportunities to keep practicing it. Nonetheless, it is right to do.
We can and we will get through this best if we do so together. The church is simply one of the many collective groups that we are part of, but we have the specific mandate to love one another well. So, I invite you to live into that call as patiently and powerfully as you can.
Mark of St. Mark
No comments:
Post a Comment