Dear Friends...

Dear Friends,

I think it was one afternoon in mid-May when I got a phone call from one of the Elders in the church. After I greeted him, the excited voice on the other end said something like, “They said we don’t have to wear our masks anymore!” I immediately went to the news feed on my computer and, sure enough, there was the headline. The Centers for Disease Control had determined that anyone who was fully vaccinated no longer needed to wear a mask in public. So, off they came! Then the blue tape that marked the social distance to be kept in the sanctuary came off the pews. The plexiglass shield came down from the pulpit. It is interesting how returning to the normal way of life suddenly became as refreshing as a cool breeze on a hot day. Back to normal … wonderful normal … all made possible because of the arrival of the vaccine. It was doing its job and it appeared that the COVID-19 virus was finally confronted by something that would make it go away. So, the ‘all clear’ was given for the vaccinated. However, the unvaccinated still needed to wear their masks. But, the only way to implement this new, relaxed guidance was with the honor system and the honor system isn’t working. In our state less than half the population of people over the age of 12 (the minimum age for vaccination) is fully vaccinated. But go almost anywhere in public and you will see very few masks. We are failing to take care of ourselves and of each other. And that joyful progress seems to be in jeopardy now as the currently circulating variant of the virus is taking hold.

Now, leave it to the preacher to throw the Bible at you … so here it comes! In his letter to the Christians in Philippi, Paul tells them about living a life of imitating Christ’s humility and writes, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” And in Matthew’s gospel we hear Jesus telling us that the second greatest commandment of God, second only to loving God above all else, is to love everyone else the same as you love yourself.

In this pandemic, getting vaccinated is the best way we can take care of ourselves and each other right now. Authoritative voices from across faith traditions and political leanings are saying the same thing. I whole heartedly join those voices. Unless your doctor has advised against it, if you are not vaccinated … please get vaccinated.

Grace and peace,

Mike