We have known separation over the last months, necessary separation from each other, even when we have yearned to be together. We have worshipped and cared for loved ones at a distance. We have grieved from afar.
Certainly, it would be good to be without the fear, but the pandemic has emphasized inequities in our system, things we could too easily look away from before. Not everyone can sequester. Not everyone can access health care. Not everyone can afford to stock up. We know now that we have devalued other people’s bodies because of color, or personal style, or class, or religion. Those previous days before the pandemic were not perfect at all. What does it mean to believe that we are part of the body of Christ? What does it mean to be welcomed with all others to a banquet hosted by a God of grace with open arms?
If we cannot be closer to each other than six feet, God fills the gap with forgiveness, hope, and the affirmation that each of us is worth loving and has a place at this table.
This message is an excerpt from “Amen: Holy memory” by Catherine Malotky in the September 2020 issue of Gather magazine.
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