Hi First Presbyterian Church,
At its meeting last night, because of the current surge of COVID in Monroe County, the Session decided to suspend serving any food and drink at church functions to eliminate the need for people to take their masks off inside, which is required for everyone anywhere in the building. On Sundays, people are encouraged to socialize in Fellowship Hall; there just won’t be any coffee or doughnuts being served as usual. The Session will continue to evaluate the situation in the coming weeks.
Whether it’s the latest with COVID or something else, you – like a lot of people – may be feeling a sense of regret and disappointment. I am reminded of a scene from J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring. In the story, Frodo Baggins is given a ring that his relative Bilbo Baggins acquired on one of his travels around the world. A wizard named Gandalf comes to the Shire, where Frodo lives, and is startled to discover that Frodo has been given the ring. Gandalf explains to Frodo that the ring is mysterious and evil. He goes on to tell Frodo that the ring once belonged to the Dark Lord Sauron the Great. Long ago, Sauron had been defeated by a valiant warrior but the spirit of Sauron had reemerged to take back the ring of power. Frodo is, understandably, unsettled and discouraged to learn that the ring he now possesses is being hunted by the Dark Lord. Here’s an excerpt of what happens next:
'I wish it need not have happened in my time,' said Frodo. 'So do I,' said Gandalf, 'and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.’
I really resonant with Gandalf’s response to Frodo. No one wishes for a pandemic. No one wishes for any hardship or trial to befall them. Worse still, we cannot control when such things happen to us. As Gandalf advised Frodo, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
So much of life lies outside our control. We cannot control the nature of our circumstances, but we can control our response to our circumstances. Sometimes our moral and Christian duty requires us to respond by doing difficult things. Such is the nature of duty and Christian virtue. For Christians, this means prioritizing our love for our neighbor over our love for self. No matter what we’re facing today, let’s pray that God will give us the courage, the fortitude, and the love to do what’s right.
Peace to you,
Pastor Neff