What I Want to Say: Unplug – Re-plug

We’ve all done it. When an electronic device starts acting weird, the simplest fix is to unplug it, wait a bit, and plug it back in. It's amazing how often that actually works.

What brings this to mind is that on Friday I had a face-to-face get acquainted meeting with someone. A real one, not a Zoom one. Man, that felt good. There hasn’t been much of that face-to-face stuff for nearly two years now. And with good reason. But with vaccines and boosters and increasingly better treatments for those who contract COVID—and with appropriately cautious behaviors—face-to-face meetings are becoming more common again.

The pandemic caused us to unplug. I retired just before it hit, so as far as I could tell, the pandemic restrictions weren’t really affecting me much. But both of us at our meeting today remarked how much we had missed this kind of face-to-face get together. Most likely we missed them because we human beings are designed to be in relationship, in society, in community, in collaboration, etc. And something is missed when we are not in proximity to each other.

And what do we do with our electronic devices after we unplug them? We plug them back in. Maybe it’s time for us to re-plug. And maybe it’s time for us to plug back in with one another in church. Now, I don’t know your personal circumstances. There are good reasons for keeping our distance from as many people as possible. But I also know that we are diminished when we are forced to do so. We don’t get the full facial expression, the body language, the touch of another human being over the phone or on TV or in a Zoom. And there’s certainly no full Communion with the communion of saints.

So, I’m inviting you all to ask yourselves whether it’s time to re-plug yourself back into your church. Certainly masking and social distancing remain good practices, particularly for those not fully vaccinated. We respect and support whatever accommodations make you feel safe and welcome. And of course, as guidelines evolve, we will stay current with what our Delaware health officials consider to be safe practices.

By all means, do what is safe for you. But if you can be here, we will all be enriched by your physical presence. And if you can’t, we’ll still be there for you on our YouTube channel.

Peace,

Pastor Mark Walters