Pastoral Letter  (Updated March 17, 2020)

John 20:19   When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

John 20:24   But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

John 20:26   A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

	Siblings in Christ,

	The advent of the coronavirus is causing some fear and uncertainty in our community. With the cancellation of events; the closing of restaurants; the cancellation of airline service, and the reluctance to ride public transit, it can feel like the world itself is shutting down. The situation of Jesus' followers in John, locking themselves away from the world in fear, may feel familiar.

	Going into hiding may have been reasonable, given that the authorities had just executed their leader and teacher, Jesus. This passage may also be informed by the situation of later disciples, who were expelled from the synagogues for confessing their faith. But fear begets fear and anger, and we have seen how these words have caused Christians to fear and then to hate Jews over the centuries.

	Similarly, fear and misinformation around the coronavirus have led to hoarding, fear of minorities and harmful overreactions in many areas. Fear puts up walls between us and locks us away from each other.

	To protect the health of our most vulnerable members, your Boards and I have decided to suspend the practice of physically gathering for Sunday worship. We are exploring alternatives for worshipping together at a distance; watch your emails or call the church office for updates.

	In the meantime, remember the good news of John 20: walls and doors do not stop the risen Christ. The good news of God, who reconciles and restores us to relationship and brings life out of death, is stronger than our fear.

	As we move through the season of Lent, a season traditionally devoted to meditations on the meaning of discipleship and readying ourselves for the same, we have been using a series of excellent sermons on stewardship as a spiritual, Lenten discipline, written by the Rev. Dave Jagger.

	As the coronavirus causes increasing concern in the world, I do not want to abandon these messages, because the work of the Church continues and this thing, too, shall pass. Our discipleship, which is our stewardship, must adjust to this temporary situation.  It includes tending and sharing our health, our time, our compassion, our faith.

	Do not be afraid. Take sensible precautions: wash your hands. Cough into your sleeves. Avoid contact with others if you develop flu-like symptoms. Avoid large gatherings. Limit physical contact with strangers. Get your news only directly from credible sources, like the federal or provincial governments, the WHO, or CBC. 

	In the absence of communal gatherings, and especially if you are isolated for medical reasons, do not imagine for an instant that Christ is not with you. Walls, doors and physical distance are no barrier to the incarnate Word of God. Do not imagine that you are separate from this community of believers, for it is God that has called us together. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me or another member if you need to talk, for this is our ministry to each other. Remember that you are stewards of the Gospel of God’s love for all people: take the initiative to check on each other.

	Yours in Christ, wherever we are,

	Tim