What Do You Want to Do When This Is All Over?

From
May 1, 2020

Lately, one of my favorite questions has been, “What’s the first thing you want to do when they ‘blow the All Clear’ and end social distancing?” I’ve had a lot of answers from different people.

Many say they want to hug an older relative, or play with a grandchild. Some who have had to avoid stores because of their health or age have said they want to shop for themselves again. Others talk about sites they’d visit, favorite restaurants they’d go to, or parties they’d throw. One family wants to travel to another country to see relatives once that’s safe again.

I’ve heard from teens who want to go out and hang with their squad, kids who want to go to the zoo, sports fans who want to go to a game (or even just to sit and watch a live game on television again), and moms who want to take their kids to a playground.

I know several people–myself included–who have “get a haircut” at the top of the list. My wife wants to play hockey again, and that’s pretty high on my list as well. Even just skating on a rink would be nice at this point for me.

And there are also people who have delayed eye doctor appointments, vacations, and visits to relatives they worry they may not see again. And more than one person has said to me they want to go back to church.

And this got me thinking about the story of the end of The Flood, a symbolic story about a time of spiritual struggle for the church. When Noah, representing the church, finally emerged from the shelter of the ark and onto dry ground, his first act was to build an altar to the Lord and offer burnt offerings as a sign of worship. This is what I would like to do as a church community, once we can responsibly, safely and legally congregate again.

I don’t know when it will happen, but when it does, let’s plan for a special service to celebrate. Someone suggested we buy pizza for everyone and have lunch and a party after worship. Inspired by the “burnt offerings” theme, I think maybe a serious barbecue might be in order. We’ll have to see.

Mac Frazier, 2020-04-23