Finding Faith ... in finding the positives

By Intern Pastor Devlyn Brooks

I can hardly believe that it was just a year ago about this time a year that we started to learn about this mysterious new and dangerous virus called COVID-19.

Well, as everything does now in an internationally linked world, the virus found its way out of China and spread around the globe, devastating economies, sickening tens of millions and killing 1.77 million people.

COVID would eventually make it to our shores and altar our American life in ways that seem will last forever. We’ve even seen the impact here in our own little church.

And all of this seemed unimaginable just a short 10 months ago. Many are comparing this pandemic to events such as World War II or The Great Depression in terms of how the event will forever change our lives. I guess we’ll leave that for the historians to debate.

But as we now turn our calendars over from this year to the next, I thought it appropriate to take stock of some of those ways that the pandemic has affected us, both in what I deem negative ways, but also positive ones as well.

First, let’s just start with what we’re all feeling. We want to be together as a congregation to worship. I hear the cry in the voices of all the Faith Lutheran members with whom I talk, and I can see the longing in the eyes of the few people I get to see at council meetings or at church committee meetings. We all want to sit in our beautiful sanctuary and worship in person … together. That of course is one of the largest negatives that is the result of COVID.

But, making the best of things, I’ve also seen that our ministerial reach has never been greater. I’ve mentioned this many times the past 10 months, but our level of participation from folks who are tuning into our digital worships on Facebook and YouTube is staggering. Routinely, we have 70 or 80 views of our worship services when you add up the people watching from both digital platforms. And there are even some videos that have been seen hundreds of times. You absolutely cannot deny that the Holy Spirit is still working through our digital ministry, providing many who hunger for their spiritual bread a means to receive it. And this I believe will not change even when we come back to in-person services. I think we’ve seen the power of being able to reach fellow Faith Family members online, and that will be a lasting change for our congregation. We will now be a hybrid congregation even when we return to worshipping together. This, I see as one of the largest positives.

Second, the pandemic also forced us to rethink how we do faith education at all levels in our church. Our Sunday school families chose to continue to meet online out of concern for safety for everyone, and we’ve done the same with confirmation this fall and early winter. And both programs are still vibrant and seeing high levels of participation, despite gathering online. And we’ve also had the opportunity as a church to participate with our neighboring Comstock-Hoff Lutheran Parish for several adult learning opportunities thanks to digital technology. And so while anyone who is participating can attest, learning remotely online and distant from each other isn’t ideal, the pandemic has given us a new-found appreciation for our faith education programs. And I absolutely believe that they will be forever charged with the positive energy and perseverance that our teachers have developed through this challenge. Again, this can be viewed through both negative and positive lenses.

Third, time at home. … Have we ever spent as much time at home with our family as we have during these past 10 months? The pandemic has forced most of us to keep pretty close at home, and selfishly for me, it's allowed me not to have to travel anywhere for almost a year. Which was a blessing because in recent years I was averaging months on the road away from my family, either for work or for attending seminary. That was all effectively canceled which meant that I’ve gotten to sleep in my own bed; see my son’s football games and daughter’s horse riding events; and to help with homework and chores around the house. I’ve had the opportunity to be more present in my family’s life these past months, and I’ll be forever grateful for that. Do I miss going to movies or the occasional visit to a restaurant? Or even the occasional work trip? … Well, yes, I do. But I know those opportunities eventually will come back, and that I will never regret this time that our family has had together. I pray that you and your families have had the same experience.

Fourth, a reminder that each day truly is a gift. Look, I’ll be the first to admit, that my days are full. Maybe too full at times, leading to days where I run from one thing to the next. This means that I often do not stop to appreciate the many blessings -- both big and small -- that I have in my life. But the pandemic has given me the time and the opportunity to think about things in a different light. Such as how much I too miss worshipping together. You can never quite know the strange feeling of preaching into a video screen until you do it. And so I will never take our in-person worship together for granted again. Also, thanks to several COVID scares in our immediate family, the pandemic has helped remind me that our loved ones’ lives are precious. And finally, the pandemic has reminded me that while sometimes it’s hard to find time to help your kids with that algebra assignment, or to give your mom one more call, I am making more of an effort these days. Because I know these people in my life are blessings, and I can thank the pandemic for that.

That is a short list, of course. I’m sure each of you could name your own list of things that could be seen through both negative and positive lenses. After all, we’ve all been impacted in very individual ways. But at the dawn of this new year, I am choosing to remain optimistic that we all have learned something valuable through this global, life-altering event. The vaccines are beginning to roll out. Our frontline healthcare workers are getting protected, and soon we’ll start to see our most vulnerable citizens receive the life-saving vaccines as well. And slowly, our lives and jobs and school and church activities will start to return to “normal.” … And that is all good and inspires hope.

But I also pray that some of the other lessons that we’ve learned during the past year aren’t for nothing. I pray that we continue to appreciate our church and our time together as a Faith Family as much as we yearn for it now. I pray that we continue to make spending time together as families as important as it is now. I pray that we continue to see each day and each life whom we are surrounded by as gifts. … And I pray that in our rush back to “normal” in this new year that we also do not lose the wisdom we gained in this year that will never be forgotten.

Blessings to you all, Faith Family. … Happy New Year’s!