We’re beginning to truly imagine a life post-COVID. Of course, we know COVID is far from “over.” We read the news of the massive spike in infections in India, overwhelming the health care system. We hear of new variants and the race to outpace them with vaccines. Closer to home, we’re mindful that vaccines aren’t yet available to children, that our local counties remain in the “substantial” spread category, and that we continue to lose too many precious lives each day. We know COVID is far from over… and yet, we’re also beginning to imagine what life will look like post-COVID.
As we imagine, we also take stock in these past months of COVID-tide. Recently, I’ve been asking our Wesley Church staff to reflect on what they’ve learned about their ministry roles in the past year. Even though COVID-tide has been a season of great struggle, I’ve asked them to consider the good things that have come out of this hard time. I’ve asked them to identify the new practices that they want to keep or continue. The insights of COVID have been hard-earned, after all — we don’t want to waste what we’ve learned in this time.
Church, I’m asking you to reflect in the same way. In your own life, what good things have come out of this hard time? What new practices or habits do you want to continue, even after COVID mitigation no longer demands them? As we begin to emerge from this season, we can certainly reflect on what we’ve grieved and lost… but also on what we’ve gained and found.
To that end, I want to invite you to join the Bethlehem Interfaith Group (BIG) for a Community Day of Prayer this Thursday, May 6, at 12:00 PM. This will be available as a livestream via YouTube (see link below), but if that time doesn’t work with your schedule / lunch hour, you are free to view it later as well. Together, religious leaders from throughout our Bethlehem community will reflect on this past year — on what we’ve grieved, what we’ve gained, what we’ve lost, and what we’ve found. Join us!
YouTube link: https://youtu.be/TR-62VG4g7o
As you reflect, may you remember:
Our God is bigger than coronavirus.
Our vision is bigger than coronavirus, too.
We are people blessing people.
We are Wesley Church.
Want to know more?
- Learn about our church and its ministries: https://wesleychurch.com/
- Make a gift to support our mission: https://wesleychurch.com/giving-2/
- View our recent messages: https://wesleychurch.com/sermon-message-on-video/
- View previous devotionals: https://wesleychurch.com/pastor-candys-devotionals-2/
