PONDERINGS
(ISSN 1041-0961 USPS 362600) Issue 3 (initially May) 2020, Vol. 51, No. 3 Publications Agreement No. 40036408 Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: OnTrac International, 121 5th Avenue NW, New Brighton, MN 55112 email: file@ontrac.com Official Journal, The Moravian Church in North America, Northern and Southern Provinces
Random thoughts on staying positive I don’t know about you, but I find that these days, my mind is all over the place. I can be a scattered person to begin with (my wife calls it “ants in the pants”), but the events of 2020 have shifted my “many different directions” into high gear. So instead of fighting the countless thoughts rolling through my head, I’ve decided to channel them into this month’s Ponderings. What follows are some of my thoughts on how I’m trying to look to the positive side of what’s happening around us. A stranger in a strange land I’ve always liked the phrase, “stranger in a strange land,” but I didn’t really know where it came from. Turns out, it’s a line from Exodus 22 (Moses spoke it at the birth of his son, Gershom) and the title of a popular (if controversial) science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein from the early 1960s. For me, that “stranger in a strange land” is how I feel when I go out anywhere these days. After living in the same town for a third of my life, I feel I know it pretty well. I’m comfortable here. I know the lay of the land, I understand the local lingo, I know the best places for cheesesteaks, to avoid downtown Bethlehem during Musikfest and that you need tickets to attend Moravian College Vespers at Christmastime. But these days, I feel like that eponymous stranger. When I go out, I’m unsure of the local customs. What’s open? Where can I go safely? Where do I need to wear my mask to protect myself and others? When will I be able to go back to my favorite restaurant with friends? And when will I be able to go back to church? It’s an uncomfortable feeling in a place that’s supposed to be comfortable. But looking more closely at it, perhaps that’s not a bad thing. This new abnormal shakes up long-standing habits. It offers an opportunity to see my local world in a new way. It enhances my empathy for those around me, seeing more clearly the places where we can all make a difference. So maybe being that “stranger in a strange land” is more “a tourist in an exciting new place.” A tourist with a mask, a bottle of hand sanitizer and a greater appreciation for the world right around me. By the way, the cover photo for this edition of The Moravian—the masked statue of John Amos Comenius on the campus for Moravian College—I likely would have missed if I had been operating on the “business as usual” track... 4
Published eight times per year: Jan/ Feb, April, May, June/July, August, Sept./ Oct., November and December, by the Interprovincial Board of Communication, 1021 Center St., Bethlehem, PA 18018. Subscription rates: $15.00 per year, U.S.A. & Canada; $18.00 per year, all other countries. Individual copies available for $3.00 each. The Moravian is sent to the families of the Moravian Church as a privilege of membership. Periodicals postage paid at Bethlehem, PA. Circulation: 16,000 Postmaster please send address changes to The Moravian, 1021 Center St., Bethlehem, PA 18018. Continuing The North American Moravian, The Moravian and The Wachovia Moravian. Michael Riess, Editor Susan Kiefner, Communications Assistant Jill Bruckart, Customer Relations/Business Assistant Interprovincial Board of Communication Ginny Tobiassen, chair Terri Bischoff, Peggy Carter, Margaret Couch, Paul Knouse, Kat Lehman, Amy Linville, Dan Miller, Valerie Bean Wagner. Design by Michael Riess, IBOC. Address all correspondence regarding articles, subscriptions, or advertising to The Moravian, 1021 Center St., Bethlehem, PA 18018 FAX: 610.866.9223 Phone: 610.867.0594 800.732.0591 e-mail: moravianmagazine@mcnp.org www.moravian.org Contents © 2020, Interprovincial Board of Communications, Moravian Church in America. All rights reserved
The Moravian
