A letter to the church in Pasadena

With everything going on, I wanted to write to you and share how I am processing the national news of Covid sweeping our nation's Capital. Normally politics does not rise to the level of our ecclesial attention, at least when individual illness and health are concerned. But the sitting president being hospitalized creates a special situation that will likely put many in our community in an anxious state. How could it not given the way we are all forced to weigh the emotions of one man’s ego 24/7?

So let me share how we will be leading through this time. Regardless of politics, we do not delight in the suffering of another. We are called to pray for the redemption of any and all who are caught in sin’s grasp. How many times did Moses go to Pharaoh with a chance to repent and change?! Where we find sin at work, we will continue to stand against it, starting within our own heart while also extending to our systems and structures. Being empathic does not mean we stop speaking the truth about the Gospel. 

Beyond that, and more central to our community, this news is a critical reminder that we are still very much in a pandemic. We are confident in the plans we have made for safe and responsible togetherness, including Sunday outdoor worship. It is a great time to remind one another of our shared commitments to keep each other safe and honor each person’s level of comfort and risk. To that end, we will together commit to these common sense practices. Properly worn masks when outside vehicles, physical distance from household to household, and frequent hand sanitizer that can be found throughout the parking structure. Also, we will continue to remind everyone to stay home if they are feeling ill or have been exposed to someone with Covid. Our future ability to meet together hinges on everyone understanding and embracing these guidelines while together. In this way we also model responsible practices for everyone outside of our church community.

Lastly, I have been revisiting the central pieces of my own spiritual formation. The scriptures, books, teachers, conversations, hymns that have given my personal faith vitality and nuance. I hope you are doing the same. We see through a mirror dimly these days, just like in days before. But we are finally people of hope, whose vision is based on a longer view of reality that culminates in a grand reunion of all that has been lost. We call this the kingdom of God, and we will never stop seeking and nurturing it. Death may reign, but we are free from its power. 

Onward,

Pastor John Jay