Physical Separation, but Spiritually Connected!

This has been a challenging time for all of us. As days turned into weeks, which have turned into over a month, I think many people initially thought that distancing would be brief and not too remarkable. Some even joked about how much they would be able to get done at home if they couldn’t leave for a few days.
By now, most home projects have been completed. We are finding new ways to connect and interact with each other. Some of us are even noticing how something as small as a mask over the nose and mouth can make people look a lot like our friends. Today while I was at the store getting pantry supplies, I was SURE I was near church folk two different times….upon closer examination, they were not the people I was sure I knew so well.
As we continue to live in this very strange time in our lives, I think it is important to realize that there is so much more that draws us together then just a physical proximity:
We have proximity by species. Now, I know that sounds odd, but one of the things we have in common with everyone we encounter is that we are all human, dealing with confusing feelings and emotions. We are all figuring this out as we go along.
We have a proximity by citizenship. We are all a part of a nation that we call our own. Regardless of politics and national debates, we are first and foremost United States Citizens. As such we have national common experiences that bind us together as a group.
We have a proximity by region. We live in and around others. Many of you live in the Omaha metropolitan area. Others are in locations far away, but each of you are living in and around other people. You have a regional connectedness that creates some commonality that just doesn’t exist otherwise. You have been through localized events: celebrations and traumas. We experience the same beauty as seasons change, suns rise and set with beauty due to conditions around us, etc.
We have a proximity by faith/spirit. We who call ourselves the church have an spiritual proximity to each other. We have ways that we say and do things that people who do not place faith in Jesus Christ just don’t have. The importance of Christmas and Easter, the story of salvation, the trust in an afterlife, we have a common understanding of faith that binds us together and keeps us close even when we cannot be physically close.
I believe that our faith proximity is the most important connection we have with each other. We have a trust in a Savior who we know went to extreme means in order to provide peace and comfort to us. If we truly believe this to be true, we can rest assured that salvation wasn’t provided through Jesus Christ, only to have things completely fall apart now! Our faith has gotten us this far, it will see us through this medical crisis as well…. Together!
In Him,
Pastor Jon