President Trump has just asked that social distancing guidelines remain in place until at least April 30. The pastor at my church has been live streaming services from an empty sanctuary for the last two weeks. People on social media are lamenting that Easter has been cancelled.
That last statement is kind of funny. How can you cancel Easter? The resurrection has happened and the day is a holy day whether you are in the sanctuary or in your p.j.s at home.
But yeah, I get it. Easter is a day most of us look forward to gussying up for church, having a big family dinner, and doing an Easter egg hunt.
The social distancing lock down doesn’t preclude you from having a family dinner (just the immediate family living in your home, though) and having an Easter egg hunt (once again, just the immediate family living in your house). As for going to church…
Well, why can’t you be in church this Easter?
I know our family will be participating from home, via live stream, but why can’t we also be a part of the actual service at the sanctuary?
No, i’m not suggesting we defy the lock down and show up in mass, but there is something we CAN do to be there:
Draw a picture, take a photo, cut and paste an emoji, screen shot your Mii on the Wii or your P.S. avatar, somehow get a representation of you on a sheet of paper. Get everyone in your family to do the same.
Now take those pictures, along with your tithing check (the church still has to pay its bills you know), drive up to your church and put those pics in the church mail slot. If you can’t get to the church, at least email or snail mail your pictures in. Any way you can get them there, get them to church. Include a note saying “Please pin these pictures on our seats in the sanctuary. We want to be in church for holy week.”
Imagine as a pastor seeing a sea of virtual people in your sanctuary taking the place of the empty seats.
We are the Church people. Let’s be there.
The Reluctant Firefly 