When are we going back?
This is probably the question that pastors are getting asked the most these days, and that’s understandable. Most of us have been following stay-at-home orders for over two months now, we miss seeing each other’s faces and worshiping with each other, and we are aware of the court ruling that lifted state restrictions on religious gatherings. So, what are we waiting for?
We are waiting, in short, on the right conditions. While a court ruling may mean that we can hold in-person worship services without violating the law, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we should. After all, we answer to a higher authority anyway. I think of St. Paul, as he wrote to the Galatians:
For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
While we cherish our freedom to worship, we do not want to use that freedom for self-indulgence. After all, we have been free to worship this entire time; that worship has just been taking place in new ways. To move too quickly to in-person gatherings could put the most vulnerable among us (and even some who don’t fall in that category) at risk, not just of getting sick, but of losing their lives. You might remember my sermon series on the Three Simple Rules from earlier this year. The first rule for those of us in the Methodist family is, “Do no harm.” So, while 100% certainty is never possible, we want to be sure as we can be that our decision is not harming anyone.
Over the next few days, I will be consulting with our church leaders, both here at St. Paul’s and at the NC Conference, to determine when we will start taking our first steps back into in-person worship. We will depend, of course, on prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as well as on the knowledge and expertise that God has given to medical professionals and public health officials. And as we return, we will do so in stages, gathering first in the Community Life Center because it allows for proper distancing, while also continuing our livestreaming options for those who still need to worship from home.
Thank you for your patience as we strive to make the right decisions, and more than anything, thank you for your prayers. I need them now as much as I ever have, and I know that the rest of our leadership team feels the same way.
Grace and peace,