Worshipping together is what gives us strength
Vested as a Eucharistic minister this past Sunday, standing in the chancel and looking out at you whom I had not seen in that space in more than a year, I felt a deep sense of gratitude. Not gratitude for what we had come through, though there was certainly that, but this was a more personal gratitude for what you as a parish have done for us as your parish staff.
Watching you, I reflected on how each of us has experienced individually some form of the fear COVID has wrought. Some of us, or some of our family members, have been sick; some lost someone they love either to COVID or other illnesses that then allowed only small, unfamiliar funerals. Some of us have battled the anxiety that would come in waves and leave us frightened by changing public health rules, scratchy throats or headaches. Some of us have been frustrated by closings and mask-wearing and online school, and vented when we were. Others have taken it in stride more privately, wearing the masks without complaint, ranting in our journals and striving to stay steady with life redefined by COVID.
Sometimes the paths we as individuals walked were rocky and difficult. Realigned jobs, hurting children, sick family members, loss of income – these were hard things. Sometimes the experience was smoother. Maybe work from home allowed us to take stock of our lives in a new way, or forced us to work through things life sometimes fools us into thinking we have no time to work out. Some of us have had to adjust a great deal; others, not so much.
But, by and large, most of us have been able to adjust, and because of your faithfulness as a congregation, your church staff was able to make the necessary shifts as well, continuing our jobs, finding so many of you open and receptive to new ways of doing church.
Because of your faithfulness, we as a church staff have enjoyed the privilege of working and continuing to be paid. Thank you for that abiding faithfulness. We as a staff are all deeply grateful and humbled by what we came through with mostly only minor bumps and bruises.
Thank you for continuing to believe that your spiritual home mattered and somehow we would find a way to do that work together. Thank you for your “thank yous” to us, for reaching out with a phone call, or a handwritten note, a heartfelt email or a handmade treat dropped by our homes or office.
You are a deeply faithful group of people, generous and kind and resilient to life’s challenges. Thank you for supporting us through this pandemic experience, and thank you for continuing to say church matters; our work as a community of faith matters; together, we, as a parish matter.
On Sunday as we said aloud – through our masks, yes -- the words to the post communion prayer, one of my favorite prayers in the Prayer Book, I was reminded of the strength I receive when my voice joins with yours to say this prayer that acknowledges that life is a struggle, that we all fall short, but that we all struggle better together than alone:
“You have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord.” Amen.
Allison Askins
