Medical Grade Churches

Church is starting back tomorrow night. Instead of 6:00 pm, like normal, we’ll be hosting a 5:00 slot so the cleaning crew can have extra time to disinfect the church. All that scary Covid wafting around it pays to use a little extra elbow grease I suppose. Come to think of it does Covid even waft? Or is it more an airborne menace, an all-powerful droplet of doom, wreaking havoc on man and beast. It fills up hospital beds quicker than a F5 tornado rampaging through a city. It causes all manner of life to seize up like an engine without oil in July. God help us all! I hope we’re prepared for this present day darkness!

I don’t expect a lot of people to show up tomorrow. I went to a Wednesday night service a few weeks ago. We do those once per month. It’s a good idea to get all 3 separate campuses to meet in one place. But since the shutdown and collective loss of ability to think clearly by so many, we’ve been away for a while. I was pumped to be there. A meeting with fellow Christians, united in prayer for the leaders of the country was perfectly timed. I haven’t been watching the online services. I just can’t get into them. I like the live in person stuff. Sure if I miss a week here and there and I can supplement with a simulcast but mostly, I haven’t had the energy.

 How much energy could you possible need to sit in front of a screen for 30 minutes. You don’t even need pants!

Ok so I don’t mean energy as much something else. Having trouble naming it, it’s like a whole body shoulder shrug. It’s an “I just can’t right now” feeling permeating my soul. It’s probably rooted in disappointment over the church’s decision to shut down for such an extended period. For what I believe is a ridiculous virus (I didn’t say fake) that wouldn’t raise an alarm in most years. We’re shutting down business, church and schools for a lousy coughing bug. Oh but It’s contagious, spreads quickly. Good. Maybe we can get to herd immunity by football season. I’m trying to understand the needs of the more vulnerable and be accommodating, but we don’t do that in a free country. The sick and vulnerable stay home, not the healthy.

Since I’m a volunteer at church they are making us wear masks while serving. I’m not happy about it. I’ll go along with it for now. I want to be supportive of the leaders at church and the tough decisions they need to make. But this feels more like accommodating to a world view of how we should behave than an honest attempt to make people comfortable.

How much of this is me being a jerk and how much is a genuine desire to rebel against a lying media machine? The Church needs to be strong on all fronts and sometimes I think it means being a little bit rebellious. If for no other reason than to signal to the local officials “You don’t get to tell us what to do”. Mask mandates aren’t law. They’re pronouncements, edicts, power hungry screeds and we have never passed “laws” that way. We don’t vote to compel people to wear things anyway. I realize that masks are either required by businesses or not, the government hasn’t made a ruling yet. But it doesn’t matter.

I think of the mask as a litmus test. Is that really fair though? All that pressure for a thin piece of fabric?

Those who force wearing it are not going to push back when it counts. Oh they’re nice about it of-course, it’s all just the most reasonable how-could-you-not-just-do-the-sensible-thing suggestions. It’s like a feather even, barely a nudge. “Think of the elderly you monster” “What would Jesus do?” “It’s just for a little while”. I can't imagine Jesus with a mask "Come to me all you who are weary...but please wash your hands, and stay 6 feet away."

Those who refuse to wear it are leaders, especially when the downside to NOT wearing it is reputational damage and scorn. Since leaders across the country (inside and outside of church) are surrendering on little things like masks, and gathering, and accepting the silly premise that singing spreads the disease even faster, I’ll look to those who stand on little things to lead.