So... when are things going to get back to normal?
This
is a common question these days! We are all sitting here, waiting for daily
changes and updates: concerning new cases, new recoveries, new restrictions,
new vaccines, new aid programs...
So
when ARE we going to get back to normal??
Here's
part of the challenge, a part we maybe don't like considering: how *was* the
normal that we had? Sure, we were used to it... sure, many of us were
comfortable in it... sure, we can remember with fondness the best parts of it.
And yet... if we're honest, the world before COVID wasn't perfect.
Looking
back with rose-coloured glasses is a common reality, however. It's not new -
our histories are full of rhetoric from leaders inviting us to remember - with
fondness and longing - a simpler time, a better time, an easier time.
"Remember when..." usually starts a discourse on an Edenic blissful
memory... without looking too deeply. "Remember when..." often misses
any advances that have been made since that idyllic perception of reality.
"Remember when..." also, sadly, often points the finger at the BIG
BAD THING that ended the 'remember when period.
Remember
when... we didn't have to lock our doors... (but our doors did have locks, and
break-ins did happen.)
Remember
when... gas was 10 cents a gallon, and bread a nickel... (but our salary was a
dollar a week, and we had no social services)
Remember
when... I could give quite a list.
Because
what we're hearing today in the scriptures is the same sentiment that we're
living today.
Remember
when... the apostles say to Jesus. Remember the dream of Israel? The idyllic
mythologised perfect place that we imagine? Are we going back there? (Forget
the slavery issues - on all sides... the injustices... the inequality... the
inner conflict... etc.) (And forget that since then the world had advanced,
societies had grown, knowledge had increased - and OH YES Jesus THE CHRIST had
been manifest on earth to lead, teach, inspire, direct, and empower a new world
order). And even though it likely never existed the way we think of it, when
are we going back to that normal?
How
charming, then, that in this accounting of the Ascension, Jesus' response is
pastoral and kind - as he very quickly assures them that normal isn't normal
anymore. That a new normal is coming, and they've in fact already begun living
into it. And that the Spirit will guide them as that journey continues.
So
what about OUR normal? When will we get back to THAT?
Well.
Leah D. Schade, an American author, recently blogged about some hard truths in
the world, challenging us to consider if - and how often - the church engaged
these societal blights. Naming them as the Top 10 Taboo Topics for preachers,
the list included: women's reproductive health; fossil fuel extraction; a
critique of capitalism; white privilege; LGBTQ+ rights; gun violence;
war/militarization; species extinction; environmental racism; climate change.[1]
Anyone
squirming yet? Feeling uncomfortable? Glad that we are at home right now, and
don't have to make eye contact with anyone else in the pews?
While
this list is from a USAmerican perspective, I think we can all recognise that
these are global issues, and - as we've seen with viruses - issues don't always
stop at the border.
So.
The awkward list... these issues were part of our global 'normal'. Pre-COVID
they existed, as did many others, and normal wasn't great. Now that we're IN
the COVID-era, they continue to exist. And they will still be here when we
re-commence gatherings and congregating.
So -
given that context - I invite us into a new time of prayerful reflection and
discernment. And it all starts with a very simple adjustment to our question.
Instead
of asking "when are we going to get back to normal?," let's ask
ourselves what we want the new normal to look like. And what we are going to do
to enable that new world to emerge. Because we play a pivotal part in that: we
can't just sit idly by and expect the new-ness to emerge around us. We are
being called into action - and have been given a really unique opportunity to
re-start the world anew.
It would be easier, I know, for us to
simply reminisce about 'the good old days' - before COVID, back when we
could... (fill in the blank with your favourite activity) - hug, shake hands in
church, gather in grocery stores, go to concerts, etc.
But
no one ever said that doing the right thing was going to be easy.
And
the right thing right now is to re-imagine a new normal.
Returning
to the scriptural account, it's important to note what happens after Jesus
ascends. The apostles are appropriately stunned, and they get invited to shift
gears. Two unknown white-wearing folks suddenly appear and remind them to close
their mouths, to stop staring at the heavens, and to get to work sharing the
Good News. As though the apostles needed anything else overwhelming and
other-worldly to happen to them.
And perhaps
this is why we get this shocking, stark, nearly inconceivable reading paired
with the comforting words of John's accounting of the Gospel. Here Jesus gives
a lot more assurance and encouragement, a slowing down of the message to go
into the new normal, recongising the prayer for protection and empowerment and
the promise of eternal life.
And
the letter to Peter further extending that confidence to live into a new
normal: a normal where the glory of God is paramount and primary, where God's
children are blessed and invited to move beyond worry and adversity and stress;
as God will provide the support and strength necessary.
So
... knowing all this - knowing the place from which we have come, having the
opportunity in front of us, what is the new normal going to look like?
How will we worship? How will we shop? How will we
travel, or entertain ourselves, or source our food and supplies? How will we
demonstrate our priorities, our passions, our faith?
How will we adapt the way we connect with God, with
one another, with the world?
I don't know the answers - I don't think any of us
do just yet.
But I
do know that we are facing a newness to normalcy right now: and we - as the
church - can take a leadership position. We don't just have to stand around,
mouth agape, as it were, as the world changes around us: we can be intentional
in our reaction to the world.
We can commit to acts of peace and justice.
We can commit to an economy that does not exploit
humanity.
We can commit to extending dignity to every person.
We can commit to practices that do not destroy the
earth.
We can commit to connections that build up the
kingdom of God.
We can commit to doing all things to better glorify
God:
...and we can make THAT the new normal.
It won't be perfect; it won't be easy; it may not
be popular. But it could be - if we want - it could be a normal so wonderful
that generations from now will give thanks that we created a new normal: to the
glory of God.
Let's
embrace the gift to create a "remember when..." worth remembering.
[1] https://www.patheos.com/blogs/ecopreacher/2019/05/top-10-taboo-topics-preachers/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=share_bar&utm_campaign=share_bar_facebook&fbclid=IwAR2LkP8OUQzUVRS87igJybDdkgLHDaNNl4_Ox11l8BT1_LrzAn8VZUEQ-1A
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