Our Church Continues Unabated – Third Letter from the Rector
Dear friends,
It is hard to believe that it’s been only a week since I wrote to you announcing that corporate worship gatherings were suspended through March 29 at St. James’ Church and throughout the Diocese of Maryland. It feels like it was a month ago, not one week. So much has happened in one week’s time. Suddenly we are being called to be the Church in a dramatically different world.
Today (Thursday, March 19th) our Bishop announced that through May 16 we will not hold public worship gatherings in the Diocese of Maryland. We are at a critical juncture with coronavirus, and it is important for us to not gather in large groups for the next 2 months. While we cannot gather for corporate worship in our church building, this means we will continue to be the Church in different ways.
Our current circumstance begs the question: what does it mean to be a church? When we can’t use our church building for corporate worship, can we still be a church? When our ability to gather together for worship is taken from us, can we still be a church? When we are unable to receive the Eucharistic sacrament, can we still be a church?
What is the essence of a church? The essence of a church is what happens when 2 or 3 are gathered together in the name of Christ, whether that gathering is in the same room or through a computer screen or over the phone. Jesus comes among us when we gather in his name. That’s when church happens, and in that ‘happening’ we are touched, transformed, loved, lifted up, strengthened, made one – we are the Church.
The Church has continued, unabated, through wars, and plagues, and storms of all kinds, and and will continue, even through coronavirus. OUR church – St. James’ Church – continues. Right now, St. James’ Church continues withCompline online; beginning next week, daily Noonday Prayer online; adult forum online; Sunday worship online; calls from the Rector; parishioners checking in on one another; prayers offered for ourselves and others; prayers offered for the world and our leaders; hymns that we sing out loud and in our hearts; prayers of thanksgiving and joy to our God. Yes indeed, the Church continues, St. James’ Church continues and will do so through coronavirus and beyond, praise be to God.
Information for Sunday worship services at St. James’ through Lent, Holy Week services, and Easter will be forthcoming. For this coming Sunday, March 22, rather than gathering online as the St. James’ community, we will join our Episcopal sisters and brothers of the Diocese of Maryland for worship online at 11 am. Here is the link: Worship Together
Friends, continue to worship in the beauty of holiness, continue caring for one another, continue calling one another, continue to say your prayers – in short, continue to be the Church. Our community and the world need us the Church, especially now in this challenging and difficult time.
In Christ,
Joe+