I've cancelled two parties today and I have thought about whether we should cancel anything else. I haven't made plans for January 2022 yet because I'm waiting to see what happens. I am hoping that my plans for Christmas and seeing family don't get scuppered. I'm trying to avoid knowing too much about what's going on as I am so frustrated and angry that it's come to Covid rules being stricter again and all the governmental chaos around that. I'm kind of oscillating between wanting to lock myself away or saying stuff it, let's just get on with living (I know, cautiously)..... And I am intermittently punctuating my day with goats that scream like humans (go on, do it, it will make you laugh.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlYlNF30bVg)
Someone suggested a zoom party today. Remember zoom parties. A lovely novelty for a time, but not what we really want. Like zoom quizzes. OK for one or two, but then....
When you are sat on your own partying with boxes on screens it'll do, but it's not the greatest of experiences (well it depends who you are on zoom with I suppose - there have been some zoom parties that have been an experience of fun..... ).
Now, I know we don't have to cancel parties, but it makes sense that if we are being encouraged to avoid one another at work work that we avoid one another in too much work play too. But the Christmas build up without too much fun - I'm not up for it this year really, but I'm telling myself I can do it..... I'm fortunate in some ways that my work means that I need to see people, I can't not see people, it's the very nature of what we do. I even saw people in the first, strict and well adhered to lockdown of March 2020 when we were making sure that people had enough food. We can still worship in person and we can still continue the work we are doing through support groups and all the other stuff, but it all feels a bit precarious.
It's chaotic, all of this. It leaves us unsettled, fearful, frustrated. We need a way of finding peace, finding a settled place, of laying it all down and simply appreciating the bits of life that we do have that bring us joy (like goats that scream like humans). None of us wanted this to happen again, but here we are. We need to make sure we're caring for other people - those who are vulnerable in our communities, those who are working in frontline services, particularly the NHS right now..... those who have far more to deal with than we can ever imagine.
Where do we find peace in amongst all of this? Where did Mary and Joseph find peace in amongst the chaos of that first time of waiting?
They found peace in what they knew. They knew that God is good, that he keeps his promises, and that when he came to earth as a human, it would change the world forever. As they went through the difficulties of pregnancy, of the scandal of pregnancy before marriage, of journeying to Bethlehem when heavily pregnant, of working out what life was going to live like now, of fleeing for fear of their life to Egypt, then these were things that they would have kept coming back to.
How can we find peace in what we do know?
Well we know that taking care, distancing, wearing masks, being vaccinated - it all makes a difference. Whatever the force of the new variant, these things will make a difference, even if it sounds like a monster.
We know that we can manage this because we've managed it before, and whatever happens next, we will continue to be able to do so. It might get worse before it gets better, but it also will get better. It won't go on forever.
Although we don't know as much as we would like to know, the scientists working on all this know much more about Covid-19 than they have before. They will get on top of this and help us work our way through.
And we know, like Mary and Joseph, that God is good. In the incarnation we see Word become flesh, God moves into the neighbourhood. He moves in next door. He moves in and sits by us and parties with us when it has to be on zoom. He brings peace where all is in chaos. He promises a better future where this will be no more. He promises so much more. He keeps his promises. In a world of mistrust and insecurity, we can hold onto His Word.
Immanuel. God is with us.
"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14
Image from flickr
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