No one would have believed that the last time we gathered to break bread and share communion together in January and February would have been the last time in an extended period of the new social distancing guidelines due to COVID-19. We are heartbroken to not get to gather with you in our newly forming community! Our basic spiritual disciplines of hospitality, table fellowship, worship, prayers have taken new dimensions. For this reason, and at the recommendation of local and national CDC guidelines, we will not be meeting for our March 29 house church gathering until further notice. Our hearts are broken not to be in proximity with each of you, for to see you is to see the face of God!
In spite of the absence of proximity, we have you near to our hearts. We long to continue to encourage each other to be present to God, be present to ourselves, and be present to each other in these trying times. As our families and children, roommates and friends, workplaces and communities, continue to adjust to a new reality, we ask ourselves these three questions:
1. What does love look like here?
2. Where is the Spirit taking us?
3. And into whose lives?
I read an article today by Dr. Pamela King, “Distinguishing thriving from surviving is having an orientation beyond yourself. A surviving orientation is about me and mine. A thriving orientation, on the other hand, is about us and ours, yours and theirs.”
Holy Spirit, teach us what it looks like to have a thriving mentality of we-and-ours even now! It may seem wild, but here’s to hoping that we can create with God’s Spirit and our community, ways to stay close even when we can’t come close. Even as I’m dreaming of the day when we can again hold a beautiful loaf of homemade bread and plantains and say straight into your eyes, “This is the body of Christ, broken for you.Take and eat.”
Here’s a few simple ideas to stay anchored through the eye of this storm and to become re-membered even as pieces of ourselves feel all over the place.
Listen
Listen to your body and soul. Practice rhythms to help you pause and be aware. Assess. Adjust. We all are carrying low-key anxiety under the surface equivalent to having about 10 programs running in the background and zapping our computers of battery life. Self-care is a necessity not a luxury! Stay hydrated. Eat. Sleep.
Walk
Take daily walks outside. Let the walking do the talking. Let the walking be your praying. BREATHE. Let the sun kiss your skin.
Sabbath
Take a sabbath from social media and news. Too much too fast can overwhelm your system. Pick a couple times a day from credible sources to get your summarized news.
Pray
Pray breath prayers. Short. One word. One phrase.
FaceTime
FaceTime a friend. Pay attention to their eyes. Their tone of voice. Be fully present to them. Give them your full attention and practice active listening. Watch how they talk with their face and their hands.
Lastly, one way that we (Inés y Bobby) would like to be present to you and be present to God is by praying for you.
How are YOU doing? How can we be praying for you in this new reality? It would be our honor to hold sacred space before our God in weekly intercession weekly.
Submit your prayer requests here.
We may feel dis-membered, but you are re-membered. You are loved, familia!
Aquí estamos. We’re right here with you. Contigo. With you. Far, but near.
paz y gracia,
Pastors Inés y Bobby