Ponderings: Random thoughts on staying positive

PONDERINGS

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...

(ISSN 1041-0961 USPS 362600) Issue 3 (initially May) 2020, Vol. 51, No. 3

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Official Journal, The Moravian Church in North America, Northern and Southern Provinces

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.

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Continuing The North American Moravian, The Moravian and The Wachovia Moravian.

Michael Riess, Editor

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Interprovincial Board of Communication Ginny Tobiassen, chair Terri Bischoff, Peggy Carter, Margaret Couch, Paul Knouse, Kat Lehman, Amy Linville, Dan Miller, Valerie Bean Wagner.

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On any given Sunday

I know this is a reference to a football movie, but lately it’s been my go-to phrase for Moravian Sunday services. Thanks to (well, can’t really thank it…maybe “due to”) the coronavirus, more and more congregations are offering a virtual way to attend services.

For my entire career here at the IBOC, I’ve had a dream of worshiping in every Moravian church in the Northern and Southern Province. Alas, that hasn’t worked out quite yet. But now, on any given Sunday, I can attend a service in Edmonton, Fargo, Miami, New York City and many places in between. I can also attend a service on a Tuesday evening or Thursday morning, thanks to services being posted to YouTube or Facebook.

I have finally had an opportunity to hear sermons from pastors I know well, but had never heard preach. I’m hearing music created in many styles and formats, seeing liturgies in whole new ways and virtually visiting churches thousands of miles away – all from here.

Now, this doesn’t replace the joy of worshiping in person in these places. I still hope to make that happen. But in the meantime, I invite you to enjoy the breadth of worship throughout the Moravian Church in the U.S. and Canada, even if you’re stuck at home. To learn about virtual worship opportunities, visit https://www.moravian.org/2020/07/onlineworship-opportunities/

And don’t forget the services offered each week by Moravian Church Without Walls, 11 a.m. Eastern Time, where the MCWW hosts churches throughout the Northern and Southern Provinces and offers special services from Moravian ministries.

Church al fresco

I remember as a kid, when we ate outside, my Dad would say we were dining “al fresco.” Now, with his New York accent—and the way he said it—it was years before I figured out who this Al Fresco guy was. And when I found out it meant, “we’re eating outside, you banana,” I use it all the time.

With COVID-19 and warm weather came the opportunity for many churches to take their services outside – out onto the lawn, in the parking lot, in the pavilion out back, under a tent. Congregations are looking to loudspeakers and radio transmitters to reach their folks while staying socially distant.

Outdoor services are nothing new in our churches; my congregation holds a few each year (in fact, our first service back will be an outdoor affair). But it’s good to see how some congregations are making the best of this situation as one of many ways they invite members back together safely. I hope that in the days when COVID-19 is behind us, the outdoor traditions continue.

About this issue

In this issue of The Moravian, we visit a congregation working to bring folks back to church. We check in with two groups who are stepping up their work on feeding those in need during this time (again, I’m seeing a lot of these kinds of efforts around the church and could do a whole issue just on food…a typically Moravian thing!) We highlight a new Moravian resource that teaches our church’s “Treasures,”share at what’s happening in some of our camping ministries to keep kids connected, and more.

On page 26, we also provide ideas for the upcoming Moravian Day of Service on September 20, 2020. During these times of restrictions and necessary safety steps, being the hands and feet of Christ in the world takes some careful planning and different ways of thinking. I look forward to seeing the creative ways our congregations take on our collective service day.

I hope you enjoy this issue of The Moravian and are inspired by the positive work of our church—doing things differently in this time of COVID-19. As always, I welcome your thoughts and ideas.

Peace,

Mike Riess, Editor