After Quarantine

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As we approach the anniversary of living with COVID-19, which I admit is difficult to pin down exactly, I want to acknowledge what a strain it has been on all of us. Whether you had psychological struggles before or not the isolation has caused all of us to struggle psychologically or spiritually. Even if one attempted to live life normally through this time,  the world around us has changed, and made life look and feel different from what we are accustomed. 

Although it has been helpful to connect with folks nearby and far away, I am so over online church. I never aspired to be a televangelist, and without the current necessity, I'd rather keep church low tech. (In my church, we still use candles.) Yes, the technology has made many things possible that would not have been possible, so I'm grateful for that. I also know that watching a church service (or fast forwarding to the parts I want to watch) is not the same as being with church family. 


I find myself thinking of the future; hoping for a day when we share bread and wine kneeling together at the altar. Then we step into the parish hall for coffee, and maybe even some brisket while we listen to music. I really miss those days. COVID-19 has been a teacher in that way; I know I will never take potluck lunch for granted again. 

Through it all, I try to hang on to those hope-filled Bible verses like the message from St. Paul to the house churches of Rome: "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." He may not have been writing directly to me, here in Port Aransas in 2021, but he was writing to people who were suffering in their own time. It is a balancing act to live fully in the present, and hold on to hope for the future. We live right here and now, and this breath I am taking is a gift from God. At the same time, I trust there will be a "glory that will be revealed to us." Not just in the great beyond, where we will enjoy the close embrace of the glory of God, but revealed glory right here among us. The current suffering pushes me to look forward to things to come and seek to participate in what the Holy Spirit is up to now preparing us for what is to come. We are getting there, but we are not there yet, so what can I do now to get ready?

So now, as we begin yet another season of Lent under COVID-19, I hope, once again, that things will be better when Easter comes around. If not in our linear experience of the calendar, then that Spiritual Easter when we fully experience the resurrection of reunion in our churches and communities. I anticipate the resurrection experience recreating community life and rebuilding relationships. I look forward to the day we wake up to the reality that the tomb is empty and it is time once again to gather to break bread with the risen Christ. 

Originally Published in the South Jetty

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