The readings for today, especially Amos 3:12-4:5 and Psalms
12 to 14 are rather dark and threatening. In present times I am reminded of the
daily reports of health officials. These scriptures are speaking to the people
of Israel telling them that they must attend to the word of God and that they
are not doing a very good job of it. The health officials are telling us that
we must do a better job of protecting ourselves and others from the contagion
of Covid 19, and of course, they are right.
The problem for many of our parish community is that the
health restrictions interfere with our coming together to learn, to praise God
in word and song, and to support each other in our faith journey. Speaking for
myself, I sorely miss the opportunity to meet and pray frequently with my
fellow believers and to help praise God as a member of the choir (a smaller
community that I also sorely miss). Music was a big factor in drawing me back
to the church in my early twenties and I particularly miss the sound of a
congregation all singing together.
The livestream services that so many members of our parish
have labored to first make available and then to continually improve in quality
have been an amazing light in this dark time. Even better news is that they
will continue to be available for parishioners who are unable to make it to
church even in non-pandemic times.
In Advent we anticipate the birth of Christ who has come to
save us all.
It seems in this pandemic that we have arrived at a point
that we can reasonably anticipate the arrival of vaccines and treatments for
Covid 19, even if it won’t be as soon as we would like or could use.
Thanks be to God for the care he gives to us even in dark
times.
-Len & Simone Robinson