Dear Ones of St. Columba's,

Once again, everything has changed. It feels like change is the only constant right now. Just weeks ago we had flattened the curve and thought schools might open. Now rates are rising and online only learning is back on the table. A few months ago the helpfulness of masks was unclear. Now it turns out masks might be the main factor to stall the virus. As we learn more about the virus and watch it sweep through our country the one thing we know is that what we know, will change. 

It's hard to know how to respond. When we are told to adapt and adopt different practices week to week, how do we decide?

I've been working on these questions with clergy colleagues and lay leaders who are leading church communities during this trying time. Over and over I hear from them that "everything has changed and we are exhausted." There is a certain special sort of exhaustion that comes with doing familiar things in unfamiliar ways - and unfamiliar ways are all that are available to us when it comes to worship, gathering, and connection with other human beings these days. (This is also true for school, work, socializing, exercising, and so much of all of our daily lives.)

Here is what keeps me going - our practices have changed but not our purpose. And purpose is what we are here for, friends. 

This is true for us as a faith community - our purpose is to be a site of transformation and healing for humans who seek to follow Jesus, and to send these humans into their lives as salt, light, and leaven to themselves become sources of love, justice and hope in the world. This purpose is not a static thing. It isn't words or a statement. Our purpose is a thing we do, something we practice together. We used to practice this through meeting all in one place on Sunday mornings, singing and hugging and breaking bread together. 

We can't do that right now. But that doesn't mean we cannot practice our purpose. It simply means we must practice it differently. Now we practice worship from home, on facebook, or (weather and virus permitting) sitting in our own lawn chairs with masks on and distance kept. We practice our purpose of loving each other through zoom worship and phone calls and buddy groups. We practice our purpose of loving our world through food bank and prayer and safe careful protest. 

Friends, one of my goals for myself in these summer weeks is to focus less on the loss of beloved practices and more on how to continue in my purpose.

For humans who follow Jesus, our purpose is revealed in our baptism. Our purpose is to continue in the apostles teaching, the breaking of bread, and in the prayers. Our purpose is to persevere in resisting evil and when we fail to repent. Our purpose is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in word and deed, to love our neighbor as ourselves and to strive for justice and peace among all peoples, respecting the dignity of every human being. (Book of Common Prayer, p 304).

How we practice our purpose needs to change, is changing, and has been changed. Some of these changes are welcome and others feel pretty devastating. But our purpose as humans, Christians, and as church remains. And it is this purpose that animates us, that grows us, and for which we are called into the world. 

Let's keep on practicing our purpose. This week it might be through praying from home, wearing a mask, or making a phone call. This week we might focus on loving the same person or people we have been quarantined with for months, or it might mean connecting with some person, cause, or idea that we have not encountered before. Next week (or month, or year) these practices might change back to something we remember from before, or change into something we cannot right now imagine. But the purpose we are called to will not alter. Our calling to practice Love as Christian people will not ever change.

I am grateful to be living out this purpose with you, in community. 

with care and gratitude,

Alissa