Experiencing Grace, Love and Fellowship in a Time of Uncertainty

Experiencing Grace, Love and Fellowship in a Time of Uncertainty

This is a new and unchartered time for the whole world. Countries are in lockdown. Schools are closed. Pubs, bars and restaurants are closing. Supermarkets are emptying out. The fear and anxiety is palpable. With each new day comes new updates of the tightening grasp of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on more and more areas of our life. Daily life as we know it has changed - and continues to change rapidly, unrelentingly, ruthlessly. 

Normally (and perhaps, especially) in times of uncertainty, turmoil, fear and unrest, churches offer a haven of peace, a safe space where we find comfort and solace.  However, with the spread of Cornonavirus, the guidelines to combat it has invoved a gradual stripping away of all that is familiar; 'Stay away from crowds and gatherings' is the advice. There is an increasing emphasis on social distancing. Everyday life, and how we relate to one another is no longer the same. And into this rapidly changing situation, churches too have had to close and suspend worship services in an attempt to slow the spread of this virus which seems to thrive and spread wherever people gather together. The fear is real because COVID-19 has pushed the world into a fearful situation - fear of the unknown, fear of isolation, fear of uncertainty, fear caused by sickness and, sadly,  even death.

'Social distancing' and 'self-isolation' have become key words that express our attempts to hold COVID-19 at bay by denying it the opportunity to spread from person to person. From the perspective of worshipping communities within churches, such a response strikes at the very heart of being the Body of Christ. For when we meet together in church, we pray with each other and for each other. We draw strength from the means of Grace, manifest in word and sacrament; we express our Love of God in our love for one another; we are strenghtened by the Fellowship we share in being part of the body of Christ. However, in the current situation, we are at a loss as we move into unchartered waters, where worshipping communities can no longer meet to experience grace, love and fellowship in ways that we have been familiar with. From a faith perspective, social distancing gives rise to a sense of loss, borne from self-isolation: where is the grace of Christ that is normally manifest in our worship? How do we now experience God's love outside of the famiy of faith? What impact does not being able to meet together have on Christian fellowship? 

But even though we are not meeting as 'church' in the conventional sense of the word, Grace, Love and Fellowship continue to abound during this time when we are separated physically from one another in this period of social distancing and self-isolation. We can still experience closeness with God because the church of God exists above and beyond a church built of brick and mortar and stone; where ever we are, whatever situation we find ourselves in, at this time more than ever, we are all in need of the Grace of Christ - and thanks be to God that this grace is freely showered upon us, and leads and keeps us in these uncertain times. When we feel cut-off and isolated, loveless and alone, the Love of God is ever present, a love that holds us and reassures us that we are never alone, for nothing can separate us from that love. And the basis of our coming together stems from the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who knows no boundaries, no barriers or restrictions; God's Spirit dwells in our hearts and lives, making known to us the Grace of Christ and the Love of God, even if we are socially distant from other believers or are self-isolating.

This truth is reinforced in the well-known words that we have come to call 'the grace': "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (2 Cor 13:14). May that promise be real to us and fill our hearts with peace and comfort, knowing that no matter how COVID-19 changes the way we live and relate to one another in the days ahead, it cannot take away from us Christ's freely bestowed grace, God's generous and abundant love, and the Spirit's reassurance of fellowship with God and with each other. 

May Christ's grace, God's love and the Spirit's fellowship be with you.

Mark