grace in the plague

Happy Easter morning!

Today is one of the most important days on the Christian calendar -- the celebration of the Messiah's resurrection. That event is a cornerstone of the faith.

Usually, churches would be filled with worshipers. But not this Easter Sunday. At least, not locally. The churches are closed to prevent the gathering of large groups of people.

The move is not unprecedented. When the Black Death revisited England in 1563, the lord mayor of London imposed a quarantine on any house where someone had been infected with the disease. Only one uninfected person from the household could leave the dwelling, and that person had to carry an official white rod. The penalty for failure to comply resulted in a hefty fine or imprisonment.

Needless to say, Easter found the London churches almost empty. By contrast, the Italian churches were packed.

The coronavirus is not the Black Death. But we have learned a lot about the transmission of disease since 1563. The quarantine regimens are more severe, but most of us understand what the authorities are attempting to accomplish -- at huge cost.

I do not count my inability to attend church this morning as one of those costs. There is great utility in worshiping with one another on Sunday mornings. But one of the basic tenets of Christianity is that God does not live in a specific building where we must go to worship him. We can worship wherever we are. And should.

My reading this morning was from Matthew 25:34-48:

Then the King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me."

Then the righteous ones will reply, "Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?"

And the King will say, "I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!"

Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, "Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me."

Then they will reply, "Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?"

And he will answer, "I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me."

And that is a lesson not to be practiced in a distant building, but in each of our neighborhoods.

No matter where you live, there are people in need. Check on your neighbors who you know are alone. Especially the elderly. Call them to wish them a Happy Easter and make certain you fill their needs as best you can.

The Easter message does not stop just because we cannot don our finery and go to church. We are surrounded by people who are thirsty.

Today is a good day to do something about that.

May all of you enjoy the blessings of Easter.