The continued spread and concern around COVID-19 invites us to consider, in a new way, what it means to care for one another, as Jesus said in Matthew 7:12, “treat people in the same way that you want people to treat you”.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his followers that the ethic to define their lives by is love. Our goal, as people of faith, should be to spread love in all that we do, which means we should take necessary and tangible steps to avoid spreading a virus. At this time, Grace and Grace Preschool does not have plans to cancel services, classes, groups, or programs. We will continue to ensure that our facilities are as clean as possible with soap and hand sanitizer available. If necessary, we will take further steps to ensure the safety of our community. On Sundays at 10:15, services will be live-streamed. If you miss a Sunday, God won’t hold it against you, it’ll be OK.

Hospitals and care facilities in the Des Moines area have moved to restrict visitors to primary caregivers. This means that I will not be able to visit members in the hospital or in care facilities. I will do my best to make phone calls as available, but for the time being, visits will not be an option.

Times such as this can create panic, so we should be prepared to create hope.

Call your friends and family, check-in on your neighbors. If you’ve overstocked on toilet paper, give a roll to a friend in need. Many persons in our community do not have the luxury or ability to prepare or stockpile supplies.

As a person of faith, I cannot believe in a god that would create a virus to punish their creation. The poetry of Genesis 1 tells us that God created a blessed and beloved world. The scope of scripture and much of the Christian tradition, has pointed to a world that is beloved, even when it feels broken. God is not punishing us, God is not angry, God is not vindictive, “God is love” (1 John 4:16). Through Christ, we meet God in the flesh and see how this love, this God, reaches out to the margins, blesses the sick, and cares for those who are not in a position to care for themselves. This is the same love that we are invited and called to live out.

There are reasons to fear, there are reasons to prepare, but above all, we are called to love.

May we love another enough to stay safe, for our sake, for the sake of our neighbors, and especially for those that are most vulnerable. May we love one another, may we love our neighbors, enough to reach out, to share what we have, to not only be but tangibly offer grace and peace to one another. You never know when you’ll be the one that runs out of toilet paper. As a community of faithful followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to love one another as we love ourselves, to treat one another as we would like to be treated. May it be so, now and always.

Pastor Nate

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