I just looked at my memories on Facebook from seven years ago. I was serving at Rose City Park UMC and it had snowed. Quite a bit! I remember shovelling the sidewalk with our custodian Michael who has since passed and we had quite a few laughs that day together. We had decided to have just one worship service that day instead of two because of the conditions and the week before we had cancelled worship due to snow and ice. I posted this photo along with the recommendations to stay home if you didn’t feel safe and we would worship with whoever came…

I couldn’t fathom doing it any other way. The only other option was to cancel which we had already done. This was the way it was just a few years ago. If the conditions didn’t work out, you cancelled worship and gathered the next week.

On Friday, just two days ago, I made the call to move worship to zoom. Snow and ice have come to Portland this weekend and instead of asking people to risk it, we moved to zoom. We didn’t cancel. We have learned to adapt and move with whatever happens. We have options now. Today was my Sunday away that I have once a month but a guest preacher still preached and music still happened in video form. The liturgist still was the liturgist and the person leading worship still did. I am guessing not as many people came to worship but those who did probably enjoyed tuning in from home where they were cozy and warm. It wasn’t even a thought to cancel. We had worship from our respective locales.

This is a benefit of having to deal with Covid I think. There are so many downsides but the ways in which we can now adapt and move seem to be benefits.

I was tempted to tune in because I could but also I wanted to respect my Sunday away which is part of what it means to be halftime…a Sunday away from church each month. So I didn’t. I didn’t turn on the computer which would have been so easy but instead Tadej and I made blueberry muffins…ok, I made them while he sat in his highchair and babbled away and ate banana. He did his part. :) Then we played and I sipped coffee. Ana joined us and we have had another cozy day because outside is just too cold for us today. I just saw two women carrying skis around outside, presumably from using them in a park nearby. 

I thought about what I might have preached today but didn’t put too much thought into it since my halftime hours went to other places than preaching this week….I am having a hard time catching a vision for Lent but Lord knows I tried this week. It will come but I hope it comes pretty soon. Lent is just a month away from today! Seems like a quick transition…so what will it be? Where will my brain head? Another thought process for another day….

Are you staying cozy?