One year ago this week, I had the terrible realization that not only had the coronavirus arrived in the US and into New York, but it had arrived at St. Barnabas, and I was the host. This most unwelcome of guests arrived on the heels of a large charitable event held at the church, and it had decided to pick me for prolonged food and shelter. The saving grace was that I didn’t become the locus of a super spreader event at the communion rail; we were all spared that nightmare and, as one parishioner put it perfectly well, his rector had “taken one for the team.”
Since those early days, so many of us have, albeit inadvertently, taken one for the team; and all of us have intentionally sacrificed for the good of the whole. Sacrificing for the good of the whole is shorthand for, “not adding to the suffering and loss of others by refraining from doing harm.” While this might be considered the most basic requirement of the Christian Life, we are encouraged to take it one step further by giving expression to Jesus’ famous saying: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” (Matthew 7:12).
One year on from the beginning of the pandemic, we are in a more hopeful place. The tenets of the golden rule are finding fresh expression in the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine. Taking one for the team now means something wholly positive: getting in line to become the host of the vaccine, which along with a growing number of our parishioners, I have now done for the good of the whole.
In another positive development, Bishop Dietsche has lifted restrictions on in-person church gatherings which augurs well for the resumption of some sense of normality in the near future. With this goal in mind, the Vestry will soon be releasing recommendations that reflect our collective desire to keep everyone safe as we gather once more at the table where Christ is host.
Onward in Hope,
This past Sunday in my sermon I leaned heavily on the wisdom of Anne Lamott as I explored the nature of mercy as it relates to the practices we immerse ourselves in during Holy Week. Here’s her definition of what mercy looks like: “Mercy is radical kindness. Mercy means offering or being offered aid in desperate […]
Back in the 50’s and 60’s, it was thought that 500-year-old church divisions could be healed if churches reached across denominational lines and got to know each other. This was an exciting time for the churches in Irvington, as all the fundamental theological issues between the Protestant, Catholic, and Anglican Churches were on the way […]
In my message last week, I wrote of an emerging sense of optimism shared by our church leadership that church life can once again take on the semblance of normality. This past week, Bishop Dietsche shared his own sense of optimism in a letter entitled, “Return of the Common Cup.” He wrote, “…with the waning […]