The Weekly View - August 6, 2021
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In This Issue
- Weekly message from Rev. Joanne Whitt
- Weekly Facebook video
- Outreach Opportunities
- Upcoming Events
Dear St. Luke family,
As I let you know in my congregation-wide email on Wednesday, St. Luke will be complying with Marin County’s mask mandate. As of August 3, masks are required in public indoor spaces. We will require worshipers to wear masks this coming Sunday, and we’ll have some masks available if you forget to bring one. I myself found that I lost the mask habit pretty quickly. Now we have to relearn it.
A friend of mine posted a photo of himself on Instagram, wearing a mask and with the caption, “Thanks, [and here I will delete the expletive he used; a word that means, essentially, “stupid people.’]. His point is that those who are not vaccinated are responsible for the surge in COVID cases and the spread of the Delta variant, so that now, once again, he is required to wear a mask, when we all thought we’d left mask behind. He’s angry. I understand this. I’m tired of masks, too. I’m tired of struggling with the technological challenges of hybrid worship. I’m tired of not knowing how to plan for the weeks and months ahead: Will the choir be able to sing on our Homecoming Sunday? Should we hold our gala dinner indoors or outdoors? Will we be able to gather in the sanctuary by candlelight on Christmas Eve? I understand his anger.
This week’s lectionary passage from Ephesians advises the new Christian community at Ephesus, “Be angry, but do not sin.” There aren’t many places in scripture that give us permission to be angry. It’s a wonderful acknowledgement that feelings are okay. But the caveat is important: “…but do not sin.” I read this as, “…but do not do anything that makes things worse.”
On Sunday, we’ll enjoy a traditional “hymn sing” (with masks!) and we’ll explore a faithful approach to anger. Anger is an important alarm bell and a powerful tool that can also, unfortunately, be used to bully or manipulate people. What are your questions about anger? I’d love to hear from you.
Grace and peace,
Joanne Whitt
Interim Pastor