Time is moving differently these days, dear Church.

I think back about Christmas, about Epiphany, about Lent.

It feels like two years have gone by in the span of just a few months. Living amidst the uncertainty of this global pandemic continues to be difficult, and perhaps even more so now, as we cross an unthinkable milestone: 100,000 lives lost in the country in which we live.

Yet, as much as we have our ups and our downs, our good days and our bad days, I am reminded that caring for others, even in small ways, can help ground us in times sick as these.

The book of Acts, as you may know, tells a story of the early Church in the first generation after Jesus was killed. They were a community in crisis, making sense of the rapidly-changing world in which they lived. And one of the distinguishing markers of that community, was that they reached out to care for vulnerable people around them even when they were unsure about their own wellbeing. They worked to make things right in the world even when the challenges ahead of them were daunting.

And so perhaps we might follow their lead, and watch for ways to care for others and work to make things right in our world, too. We have the power to maintain safe social distancing, to wear masks when close to others, and to speak up for programs and policies that bring aid to the places it is

needed most.

We may be entering the summer season, the beginning of what is commonly called “ordinary time” in our liturgical calendar, but this time in which we live is anything but ordinary. And so I leave you with this blessing: “May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Amen. (Philippians 4:7)

- Pastor Paul