Coronavirus Reflection
from Bishop-elect Deon Johnson,
originally posted on Facebook, March 14, 2020
A reflection: The work of the church is NOW!
In the midst of much change and challenge around COVID-19, in the midst of this Global Good Friday, we must now be bold, like Mary Magdalene, in the proclamation that Easter is coming!
Now is the time for us who follow Jesus to be reminded that “perfect love casts out fear.” Now is the time for us to remember that we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves and to care for one another. Now is the time to show the world the power of love even when we are not able to worship together, gather together or be together. “The church is not a building; the church is not a steeple; the church is not a resting place; the church is a people. I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together! All who follow Jesus, all around the world! Yes, we're the church together!”
Let us be the church in the world.
Our world and our communities, now more than ever, need the witness of the people of God. There is work to be done. The work of standing with the unhoused, and hungry is now. The work of ministering with the most vulnerable and those in danger is now. The work of sharing the hope of the Good News in the midst of anxiety, worry and fear is now.
A phone call, a note of encouragement, a small gathering for prayer, a quiet space for reflection, a meal prepared and shared, to-go boxes to the unhoused, connecting online, in many and countless ways we can be the church.
We are the church. The work of the church is now. Easter is coming...
Tags: News
