C-19 Reflection #61: Glory in the Church Along the Way

C~19 Daily Reflection (#61)

Theme: Glory in the Church Along the Way

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 3:20 -21

 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Reflection:

Good pastors seem to sense the presence and purpose of God in the church (and in the world), in good times, and also when things seem to go off the rails. The Apostle’ Paul had a very high view of the church as the body of Jesus Christ, the very place where God always chooses to display power and glory , which is why he worked at his pastoral calling with struggling Christian communities so tirelessly. But it isn’t always easy to maintain, what at times can appear to be an outlandish thesis about the significance of the church, when what we  find is a community of people who are capable of losing a sense of their calling for various reasons, including during times when the slippage is excusable.

It is with this in mind that I noticed the pastoral tone in a letter by a sensitive and supportive shepherd to their flock in the face of the pandemic’s challenges going forward. I am reminded in these truthful guiding words that humble openness to God’s purposes and prayerful reflection on God’s presence are so important when encouraging people to look for the glory in the church during times when it might not be so obvious.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has been upon us for over two months now and we are all feeling its profound and far-reaching impact. In these sobering months under lockdown, the pandemic has laid bare the illusion of our independent self-control, bringing the world to its knees.

There has been much trouble to grieve and lament, something we will continue to do for many years. And yet as inconvenient, difficult and horrible as it has been, you can also spy many signs of hope—the rise of “care-mongering:” buying groceries for shut-ins; checking in on friends and neighbours; people singing in the streets; or cheering on healthcare workers every night. We’re properly appreciating and valuing all those people and workers who are indispensable to our everyday living. We’ve learned new ways to worship and care and are thinking hard about the true expression of church in our day and age. We’re realizing our addiction to busyness and slowly learning to be still and rest. The pandemic is focusing us freshly on the concerns of the vulnerable, and leading us to ask important questions about social and economic inequalities, about the woeful conditions in our care of the elderly. 

We are presented with the opportunity to imagine what is God’s better way and how we can live it, which makes this both a profoundly challenging and promising moment for the church. Despite the losses we’ve felt and experienced, while it feels like we are being bent, bruised and broken, might it be, as Charles Dickens wrote in Great Expectations, “bent and broken, but – I hope – into a better shape?”

The leadership …………. has been praying, thinking and discerning our way forward, wondering about the contours of that better shape. We do know COVID-19 restrictions and physical distancing will be part of our life for the foreseeable future, meaning our common life together as a church will be different for a long time, perhaps forever. But as we’ve noted, because God is our refuge and strength, we need not fear but rather lean into this as an opportunity to pursue God’s good way.”