As the third week of our state coronavirus sequester nears the end, Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, is close at hand. At times like this I am among the number of those who do not know whether to laugh or cry.
I picture the first Palm Sunday scene nearly two millennia ago in Jerusalem and try to imagine what it would have been like if those present had tried to practice “safe distance.” Six feet between enthusiasts, no shouting to prevent possibly virus-laden moisture hitting Jesus, and the disciples fending off palm branches and picking up clothing dropped along the way. No telling what’s on those branches and garments! Well, I believe it’s time for my fevered imagination to take a rest!
Displays of enthusiasm (literally “possessed by a god”) had better be calm and not part of a group these days! It isn’t the same, of course. We have an appreciation for our groups. We take energy and encouragement from our participation. Jesus said he was in midst of “two or three.” These days, it’s hard to muster even the two!
Some say that while we are separated, we are not alone—or we need not be. An email, a phone conversation, an outdoor conversation at six feet or so can have a healing and healthy quality to it.
And memories: We may have to put our memories to work to bring back happier social times from the past to help sustain us in the present.
Something to keep in mind: The Gospels telling the stories of Jesus were not written down immediately. They weren’t even written down fairly soon. They were written a generation later. Scholars have postulated that some stories were written down in a theoretical document known as Q (German for quelle, “work”). Much of the content that gave rise to details the Gospels (particularly those of Matthew and Luke) was contained in people’s memories.
So, let us put our memories to work in the here and now. But let us not live exclusively in the past. It will be needful for us to live in such a way so as to make future memories, stories that will evoke the presence of the Spirit of Christ in hard times.
At some point—maybe soon—the feds will toss a thousand or so dollars our way. What good can we do with at least some of the money? Well, what good have others done for us? What good have we done in the past that can be built upon in a fresh new way? This is where memory comes into play—along with the fresh workings of the Holy Spirit. Who is it we can help?
Any more, of course, $1,200 only goes so far. A well-timed and -placed act of generosity can do an outsized amount of good. Matthew 25 speaks of small acts. A cup of cold water comes to mind. What joint adventure with Jesus is coming next? Let’s become alert and find out.
— Rev. Bill Charles —
