Today, as in ages past, some of our brightest minds are speaking from the pulpit, offering insights both theological and secular. In this time of the coronavirus pandemic, faith leaders offer perspectives that transcend charts, graphs, maps, data points and social media. Following, we continue our occasional compilation of wisdom culled from recent columns in the Faith Matters series on Saturday’s Religion Page.
■From the Rev. Alison Cornish, UU minister, recently arrived in Shelburne Falls:
“In this time (of the coronavirus), it is challenging to offer, or receive, human-to-human hospitality — there’s just too much risk, too much at stake. So I have been even more grateful for the welcome of the biotic community — the hills, rivers and streams, trees, lakes and fields, birds, rocks and orchards. I am the stranger in the midst of this thrumming, storied place; yet, I am also family, made of the same elements, energized by the same sun and linked to the same fate as all that is this place.
“If the pandemic offers anything in the way of lessons, it shows how radically interconnected we are: One inescapable network … a single garment of destiny.”
■From Dan Tinen, Unitarian Universalist lay leader:
“Not being able to meet in person has yielded some unexpected benefits. It brought us together, just as our three churches held ‘round-robin’ services during World War II to save energy. Friends and relatives from far away — even overseas — can join us online. We joined UUs from all over the country for a service that featured multiple speakers we wouldn’t have been able to hear otherwise. Our ministers and lay speakers have offered reassurance and hope to people in quarantine. Post-service discussions have been lively and interesting.
“Someday, we’ll gather in our sanctuaries again, singing hymns, shaking hands and drinking coffee in our parish halls. But we will have a greater appreciation for our interconnectedness.”
■From the Rev. Marguerite Sheehan of Trinity Church in Shelburne Falls, on the seed planted by reading about a church that opened its parking lot to new uses:
“Something was stirred up in us and soon our newly repaved parking lot started meeting other needs in our neighborhood … a tai chi group, outdoor support groups … a playgroup … the community meals.
“The pandemic is changing our world. We don’t know what might come forward as another manifestation of a parking lot ministry, but we are listening. What we do know is that when a seed is planted or falls to the ground, it is not always an ending. It just might be a beginning.”
■From the Rev. Liza B. Knapp, pastor, First Church of Deerfield:
“It is our custom on All Souls Sunday to lift up prayer flags for those who have passed. The making of these flags is an intimate ritual; their raising, a public one.
“Our rituals are different this year. We cannot gather inside our beautiful Brick Church, surrounded by our customary cloud of witnesses. Our personal flags of remembrance will be shared digitally, and symbolically raised up into the ether of the internet. But still we will bless them and bear witness. We will mourn, and be comforted.”
■From the Rev. Rosemary Dawson, Trinitarian Congregational Church, Northfield:
“To say that our lives are stressful these days is a major understatement. We are living in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing debilitating illness and death, as well as economic turmoil. … Now, you may think that I am praying ‘God, fix this mess,’ but that is not the intention of my prayer. The more genuine and more necessary prayer for this day and for my life is, ‘God, what should I do?’ And the answer is not so surprising and not so easy. The answer is ‘love.’”
■From Pastor Brett Reitenbach of Greenfield Baptist Church:
“Of all the words that could be used to describe the last six months, ‘uncertainty’ comes to my mind the most. Hope is the opposite of uncertainty. No one is exempt from going through hard times. God never promises to keep his children from all problems, but He does promise to be with them through affliction.
“The God who is big and powerful enough to be the Creator is also big, powerful and yet close enough to help in times of trouble. When a person knows the one who has overcome the world by defeating death and offering salvation, the future isn’t so uncertain after all.”