Cabin Fever
I don’t know about you, but I’m itching to get out. Don’t get me wrong, I love being at home on many levels. Above all, of course, the shared labour of love of staying home has saved thousands of lives because of our commitment to our collective well-being. It’s just that after ten weeks within these same four walls, punctuated only by periodic walks about the neighbourhood, it’s starting to wear. Anyone else feeling restless?
Yet, as complicated as these last ten weeks have been for many to manage, this next phase brings a new set of challenges as we begin to emerge from the lockdown most of us have been under and try to navigate our way through a very different landscape—one that involves physical distancing and masks, and sometimes difficult calculations about how we negotiate the distance between ourselves and others. In my sermon this week, I’ll invite us to explore the values and principles that might guide us as we venture forth.
Following this week’s service, in lieu of coffee hour, we will shift into the Congregational Conversation that was intended for last Sunday (but was upended by the Zoom difficulties that affected countless congregations in the eastern time zones on Sunday morning). The meeting will include updates on the status of our real estate search, as well as news about the plans our staff and leaders are putting in place to help sustain our community during these uncertain times. There will also be break-out groups to invite your reflections and input.
Because this meeting will be interactive and involve group discussions, we encourage everyone who wishes to take part in the Congregational Conversation to attend the service/meeting by using our regular Sunday morning Zoom link, or connect to the Congregational Conversation by phone. For those wishing only to watch the service and/or Congregational Conversation, you may do so via our YouTube channel.
Finally, a word about Plan B. While Zoom has been a wonderful tool that has allowed us to continue to gather on Sunday mornings, it is not perfect—and, as we were reminded last Sunday, it isn’t completely reliable. Going forward, should you ever have difficulties joining the Zoom worship service on Sundays, or if there seem to be ongoing technical difficulties during the service, we ask that you seek us out on YouTube instead.
Wishing you well in these warming days.
In faith and love,
Shawn
