It is surreal sitting in our empty church sanctuary. Looking around, I am reminded of the smiling faces, warm hugs and words of welcome that usually greet me when I arrive. There is an ease of conversation and fellowship between our church family before and after service. Beautiful music from Linda, our organist, Cameron, our Minister of Music, and the Choir lifts our souls and prepares us to hear the word of God. Pastor Isaac in his sermon, and Rosie Snow in her Discipleship Dispatch, help us to glean understanding from the gospel and readings and to relate God’s message to our present-day lives.
Our Sunday morning ritual of gathering in prayer, reflection and celebration of Christ has been suspended. We are caught in a time warp where nothing is the same and the end is unknown. The words spoken all over the world and seared into our collective consciousness are “social distancing”, “isolation”, “self-quarantine”, and “lockdown”.
How do we stay connected during these unprecedented times? How do we keep our hearts open as our minds fill with fear, uncertainty, panic and anxiety?
At Wesley Memorial we are a faith family united not solely by our physical gatherings, but more importantly by our spiritual belief that we are all one in the body of Christ. Our spiritual bond, strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit and the unconditional love of Christ, unites us. We come together on Sunday mornings now in virtual worship. We listen to hymns, the Word of God and the sermon, and, although not the same as in person, it brings us comfort knowing that we are still connected in spirit and by heart strings.
I miss you all. I think of you every day. I pray that we will return in the very near future to fill our church sanctuary once again with smiles, hugs, and voices raised in song and praise.