The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? -Psalm 27:1
When I (Jenny) am anxious, I often meditate on this verse, letting it guide my breathing until I calm down – something I’ve had a chance to practice frequently these days. Anxiety and fear are swirling around us, and that anxiety and fear are as real as the virus that is raging around our world. Last night I let my mind wander and thought about the answers to that question – whom shall I fear? Or what shall I fear? There is plenty to fear in our world right now, as we are facing a global pandemic, something that has never been seen in our lifetimes. So much is still unknown, our own lives and the lives of those we love are at risk, and we are being told that our daily lives will change drastically in ways we can hardly predict. And yet, what I am clinging to in this time is the promise “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
We cannot let anxiety and fear overwhelm us, but taking caution to protect the vulnerable among us is what we are called to do as followers of Christ. We write you today with news that Bishop Lee has called for all in-person worship is to be suspended. We will follow this mandate, effective immediately. All St. Paul’s activities will be suspended until further notice. We understand that this means giving up an opportunity to be together in an isolating time as well as cherished rhythms and practices, but we believe that this is the wisest course of action to protect people and to keep our healthcare system from being overwhelmed. We believe this is what we must do to be Beloved Community in this time which is like nothing any of us have ever seen, knowing that God is with us and holds us together through it all.
On Sunday, our vestry will meet to work on ways to keep us connected during these times. Isolation is the enemy of health, and we want to keep our people connected as much as we can, given the circumstances. We will also work on how we will safely continue our feeding ministry, which does have the Bishop’s permission to continue as it will likely be needed even more in the coming days for our neighbors experiencing food insecurity.
We will also be working on ways to worship while we cannot gather physically. We are working on streaming services and resources for worshipping at home so that we can gather as our community virtually. This Sunday, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry is preaching at the National Cathedral (also closed to the public), who is streaming their service, so we encourage you to join in the service online. You can find that service streamed live at www.cathedral.org, or on their Facebook page at 10:15AM Central.
I don’t know what the days ahead will look like, but I do know that we will continue to be the Body of Christ in this world. We will continue to love each other in hard times, to care for the most vulnerable among us, and to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors even in a time when we cannot physically embrace each other. In illness and in anxiety, we will be gentle with ourselves and generous with each other. Each day and each week may mean that we will have to figure out how to do this in new ways, but I know that we can do this together. If there is anything that I know about the people of St. Paul’s – Peoria, it is that you are resilient through whatever comes your way. You have been through much together, and through it all, you love each other. Let us continue to do that today, and tomorrow, and in all the days to come.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns about any of this, please don’t hesitate to contact us. If you are ill, please do let us know so that we can support you.
Along with our Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, I’ll leave you with this prayer,
God of the present moment,
God who in Jesus stills the storm
and soothes the frantic heart;
bring hope and courage to all
who wait or work in uncertainty.
Bring hope that you will make them the equal
of whatever lies ahead.
Bring them courage to endure what cannot be avoided,
for your will is health and wholeness;
you are God, and we need you.
-Adapted from New Zealand Prayer Book, p. 765
Peace,
Jenny and Jonathan