Monday, May 11

Dear church,

Yesterday morning I went out shopping for the first time in a long time. We didn’t have, you know, Mother’s Day flowers – can’t have that!!! Over these last ten weeks, we have tried to be patient and go out as little as possible. After all, we have a severely immuno-compromised teenager at home who is just back on his feet again. So, we ordered food deliveries every two weeks, which were, of course, a bit spotty. Sometimes you can’t get what you need. Sometimes they don’t have deliveries available. Julia said 3:00 a.m. is the best time to get a delivery scheduled. So yesterday morning, I ventured out for the first time with mask and gloves and visited the local Trader Joe’s at English Village, joining a growing line of early shoppers, six feet apart, all masked, gloved, and well behaved. Staff there does a good job educating people, explaining how it works these days. One of them went around with sanitation wipes, not “handing” them out but offering them via extension pole. I looked all around me and I thought, “What movie am I in now?” This looks bizarre! Had anyone showed me a picture of this scene three months ago, I certainly would have identified it as a scene from a science fiction movie. But it’s the times we are in right now. Sometimes it can feel a bit depressing. And then this saying came to mind:       

“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”  

It’s a quote not from any of our leaders, media pundits, or infectious disease experts. It’s a quote from Julian of Norwich, a 14th-century saint and mystic, whose real birth name we don’t even know. She was named after the church where she served, enclosed in an anchor hold built against the side of St. Julian’s Church in Norwich, England. That was after Julian had received  revelations from God, sixteen visions that she called “showings.”  To this day we have no idea what her name was. She never signed any of her writings. The anchor-hold had a window into the church that allowed Julian to attend Mass and another window so she could counsel and pray over people who came to visit her. Such anchor-holds were found all over 13th- and 14th-century Europe. Why might Julian of Norwich have something to say to us six hundred years later, as we wrestle with this pandemic, as we struggle as individuals, families, church, and society? Because what she said here was not borne out of lazy optimism but out of deep faith. Mary Earle, an Episcopal scholar, and priest describes it like this:

Julian lived at a time of vast social, [religious,] and political upheaval, incessant wars, and sweeping epidemics. Norwich, with a population of around 25,000 by 1330… was struck viciously by the plague known as the Black Death. At its peak in the late 1340s in England, it killed approximately three-fourths of the population of Norwich. A young girl at this time, Julian was certainly affected in untold ways by this devastation. When the plague returned, she was about nineteen…”And now read this quote again: “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” (Description of Julian of Norwich courtesy of Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations)

Special thanks are in order for Martha and Bernie H. who were at the drive-through yesterday and also responsible for this beautiful Mother’s Day gift. Some of the ‘Forget-me-Not’ seeds are already in the new flower bed in front of our house. They also invited this weird fat man from up north who was totally out of season, but that’s what a pandemic does to you! Enjoy him while you can (see picture). This may have been a historic Mother’s Day appearance!

Charlene ‘s granddaughter in Connecticut, smart like her grandma, is already figuring out how to repurpose those masks once this pandemic is over. You have to think ahead, you know…  I think she deserves a patent for that idea! (see picture). 

We had a nice virtual new member orientation on Saturday with eight adult participants.  I will introduce them to you via this medium as time goes on, and at some point we will actually be able to welcome them IN-PERSON in church, for a blessing and St. Peter’s style welcome, believe it or not.  They are: Bryan A.; Polly and Tim B.; Ashley D. with Kevin (husband), Dominic and baby Charles; Wayne S.; Mike V. with Gwen S. and baby Meredith.   

This week we have a number of meetings and events planned again.  Z is for Zoom, for remember that Jesus said, “In my Father’s House there are many zooms.” (John 14)   

  • Tuesday noon: Staff Meeting
  • Wednesday, Prayer Ministry Meeting, 6:00 p.m. (Z)
  • Thursday, Bible Study, 12:00 noon (Z)
  • Saturday: Graveside Service for Lois Geehr, 11:30 a.m. (Flourtown)
  • Sunday: Adult Forum with Interfaith Housing Alliance, 11:00 a.m. (Z)
  • Meeting about Community Food Drive, Day and Time TBD (Z)

Today are the birthdays of Stephanie D. and Nicole R. Happy birthday!!!

Be safe and be well! Pastor Andreas Wagner