Are We Seeking to Restore Convenience or Vitality?

Last week, I had the privilege to join colleagues of the Clergy in Community Cohort through Wake Forest Divinity School. It was such a joy to see them in person (masked and safely-distanced), as we gathered on the labyrinth at Sardis on a sunny day.

I left our gathering renewed, but also challenged.

Because we work in the silos of our own faith communities, we don’t often have time to hear what other clergy and congregations are doing. But the Church has a capital C for a reason. I remain in awe that a dozen other faith leaders and communities are also vested in revealing the divine, connecting and healing their communities, and pursuing God’s justice and peace in the world.  It looks a little different in every community, of course. And it should because we’re all unique and gifted in our own ways. But the Spirit, y’all, the Spirit was palpable. And yesterday, at least for a moment, we were allowed a glimpse of how our varied but collective activities and expressions are working together for God’s good purposes. We were reminded that we’re connected. And even though there were no signs of a liturgical bread and cup, there was much needed Communion.

While refreshed, I am also challenged.  It’s been a difficult year, and I’ve worked as hard as hard as I can remember (I am sure you have, too!). But I am really, really lucky. 100% of my work has been about keeping people connected. Important work to be sure. 

But listening to my friends, I was made aware of how much more difficult their days have been. I live and work and thrive in a community mostly impacted by the inconvenience and isolation of Covid-19. But many of my colleagues live and work in communities affected in the most traumatic of ways: they’ve buried dozens of friends, and consoled families grieving lost loved ones, lost incomes and lost identities.  And beyond our cohort, so many colleagues are anxious about the fiscal and administrative viability of their congregations.  And still, they are resolute and hopeful.

So…half-way through Lent, as our congregation seeks to reclaim vitality in a fragile season, we have a question to discern. Is our vitality simply a restoration of our connectedness and conveniences pre-pandemic? Or is our vitality tied to a new kind of resurrection and restoration in our communities, one where every neighbor, especially our most marginalized neighbors, can thrive?  

The abundant life is not steeped in convenience; it is pointed toward accessibility. May God remind us of such, when we grieve the loss of bandwidth more than the safety and wellbeing of our neighbors.

And may God compel us to work for humanity on those days we keep insisting that convenience is more important.