Faith Matters | Let simple joys carry you on the river of life
Earlier this week I found myself in the middle of the Rainbow River, floating on an inner tube, listening to the laughter of my children around me. Of course the hot Florida sun was beating down on us but no one seemed to be bothered by it as they splashed in the cool spring water.
For an all-too-brief time, on one single day, in the midst of a world on fire, everything seemed simple. There were no electronics, no one (adults or kids) was fighting, without the slightest hesitation or consternation people of all different races and backgrounds kept their physical distance and were just thankful to be doing something other than whatever it is we’ve all been doing these last several months. I saw something that I hadn’t seen in a very long time — joy!
Like every pastor in America, I have been inundated with emails from research groups and ministry resources sharing their thoughts on how churches can do better, can do more, can “up their game” by up-ping their digital outreach. I totally get it. I’m definitely onboard with the reality that church, the way that it has always been, is over. But, that’s practice — not faith.
Major League Baseball has just announced a return to their season. Being a die-hard Orioles fan (don’t judge), I can’t wait. But, while the practices of watching or going to games is going to have to change, the game itself will not. Though our faith is not a game, it is what will endure regardless of how the practice of it ultimately shakes out.
So, I return to this idea of joy. How is it that a bunch of strangers, from all different backgrounds, all managed to experience joy without the aid of technology? How was it even possible for my 16 year-old to make it down a river, smiling the entire time, without posting directly to Instagram? How did my friend, who brought her own children, laugh, chat, and connect for two hours of liquid sunshine without a ZOOM call? How is it that we all came out of that river feeling more alive than we had in a very long time without having accessed these “essential” things that we’ve been told are absolute necessities for us to thrive?
Maybe because it was simple. The river didn’t do anything special to prepare for our arrival. It just flowed on, authentically, as it has for years – providing respite, connect, and yes, joy. It did not change its core.
My church, Kirkwood, will hopefully resume on-site services in August. Some of the practices will be changed – limited touchpoints, physical distancing, even the order of worship (since we typically have three different services and we are starting back with only one). We will still have services online at www.biggreenchurch.org. But, even as I see other churches across the country add on virtual VBS, and unlimited ZOOM Bible Studies, and all sorts of other digital offerings, we will be starting simply over at our place – at our core.
Mission and outreach ministries will continue on — they never stopped. Our community garden will continue to grow. Our children’s ministry team will still connect in personal ways with each child. Our care team will be there for the adults. Yet, even as the pressure mounts from the world to do more and more and more digitally (because who among us doesn’t want yet another digital meeting?!), the river teaches me otherwise.
People of faith need a chance to unplug and actually “Be the Church,” and that is best done the way that it has been done for centuries – by doing justice, loving mercy, and walking HUMBLY with our God. Maybe we all just need to take a deep breath, unplug, and let the simple JOY of the Lord, be our strength.
Faith Matters is written by members of the Bradenton clerical community. Rev. Hope Italiano Lee is the lead pastor at Kirkwood Presbyterian Church in Bradenton, www.bigreenchurch.org.