Virtual Worship Meditation - March 29, 2020

Community UMC, Quincy

Virtual Worship Meditation 

March 29, 2020

Rev. Andrew Davis

Psalm 130

Ezekiel 37: 1-14

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
    and in his word I hope;
⁶ my soul waits for the Lord
    more than those who watch for the morning,
    more than those who watch for the morning. – Psalm 130: 5-6 (NRSV)

Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³ And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. ¹⁴ I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.” – Ezekiel 37: 12-14 (NRSV)

As I’m learning to adapt and find new ways of doing church during this time of social distancing and isolation, I have decided to discontinue “Gifts of the Dark Wood” series.  While “Gifts of the Dark Wood” has had some good stuff in it, I feel like we need a word of hope and encouragement right now, even as we find ourselves in the Dark Wood during our Lenten journey.  We are nearing the end of our Lenten journey, yet this Lent has been like none other than we have ever experienced due to this global pandemic and being told to stay home except for some essential activities.  As one of these memes on FB said, “This is the Lentiest Lent I have Ever Seen.”  I don’t know about you, but I feel like it is as if we have joined the prophet Ezekiel on a journey through the valley of the Dry Bones, just like Jesus going through the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, or journeying through the Dark Wood. 

Last week, just a trip to the grocery store was like walking through the valley of the dry bones.  I don’t think there was a slice of bread or piece of meat or gallon of milk at SavMor when I went shopping to get stuff to try yet another new recipe, as I’ve been doing a lot of cooking from scratch during the SIP order.  When I went to SavMor last week, it was good luck finding a roll of TP.  Fast forward a week and it was different story, as the meat department was stocked, there was actually some toilet paper on the shelf (still limited), and bread.  It reminds me of when God’s Spirit blows through the valley of the dry bones and the bones come back to life and start dancing. Ezekiel is a prophecy pointing toward resurrection, which we are moving to as we journey towards Easter.  When we’re able to get out for fresh air and a walk, which is still okay to do, look around our neighborhood.  See how the daffodils have rebounded after being crushed by two feet of snow, showing their resiliency.  Look at the leaves starting to bud on the trees.  Look at the lawns becoming greener as the grass comes out of dormancy.  Like the daffodils showing their resilience and new life abounding.  While things are likely to get worse before they get better, there will be resurrection.  As Bishop Karen Oliveto of the Mountain Sky Conference says, “you need to go through Good Friday to get to Easter.”

As things stand still and as we approach Holy Week, we are waiting and waiting with hope for new life.  We wait in hope of WHEN we can meet together again, which is like waiting for the morning.  Even if our building is closed, we are STILL the church and while we wait in hope of being able to gather in person again, we are STILL in community with each other, whether it’s through social media, text, e-mail, or picking up the phone and calling each other.  At the same time, this time in community even while apart gives us a way to re-think how we do church, as there are many possibilities of how we care for each other, and worship.  In these three weeks of doing Facebook Live, we have cast our net wider than before, reaching many more than we have gather in our sanctuary on Sunday mornings.  The way everything has suddenly changed has shown us that we can adapt, even when sudden change is very jarring and scares us.  Yet in the midst of sudden and sweeping change, God is still here because nothing can separate us from God’s love.  God’s Spirit is still active in the world, and after all is said and done, God’s Spirit will lead us into new life as if those dry bones come back to life.  Likewise, we can’t give up hope or faith as we wait for a new morning and new day to arrive.  

As we journey towards Easter, resurrection, and new life, we need to continue waiting and I know that’s hard, even for me.  I want things to get back to normal just like everyone else.  While I’m a homebody already, it’s easy to go stir-crazy.  As we continue waiting this pandemic out and practicing our SIP and social distancing, I’d like to know this week, how are you staying spiritually grounded?  What are some spiritual practices that are keeping you centered in the midst of uncertainty?  And, where do you see God at work this week?  I invite you to respond in the comments of this video, or to contact me directly this week.  If I can get ZOOM figured out and not see gremlins mess with our internet, I’d like try to do a ZOOM check in and prayer time if possible, or on Google Hangouts.  Let’s keep our hope and hope as we wait, even when we may walk through the valley of the dry bones.  Offered to you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, let the church say, AMEN!!