Creative Thinking

We are still on the upward slope of the Coronavirus pandemic with new cases arising all around us, causing counties and cities to shut down all but essential outings. No one is quite sure where this going to end or when.

But there is good news.

Human beings are nothing, if not adaptable.

At church, we are learning a whole new way of being. We are quickly becoming versed in all the ways church can function online. Everything from stewardship to worship to learning to children’s ministry to committee work can be done online. Words like “streaming,” “FaceTime,” “zoom meeting,” “YouTube class,” and so on are becoming words of piety, faith, and spirituality.

I am constantly surprised and amazed by my colleagues who are now thinking way outside the box, finding all manner of ways to continue ministering to our people and bringing the presence of Christ into one another’s homes since folks cannot come to church in groups for the time being. They have even begun to think about how we will practice should an order come for us to remain at home all the time. “Let’s do YouTube yoga to pray and relax!” “Let’s stream a Sunday School class just to keep things going!” “Let’s FaceTime shut-ins!” —God is moving in all manner of 21st Century ways!

I am so grateful for the dedication and commitment of the people with whom I work, both staff and volunteers. It makes a mess seem a lot more manageable.

Biblically, it bears a resemblance to when the crowds followed Jesus to hear him teach. The day faded into evening. It was supper time. The disciples looked around and saw only their meager picnic—a couple fish and a few loaves. They panicked—“Lord, send the crowds away. Make them go into town and get their supper!” Jesus, though, sat back. “No,” he said. “You give them something to eat!”
(Matthew 14:13-16)

Jesus pushes the disciples into imaginative thinking, creative working, and a whole new way of being. I do not think Jesus is bringing illness upon us, but I do think he is pushing us to rethink, reconsider, and reinvent being the Church. It is how we meet the crisis before us in faith.

So, don’t give up. God is with us. Don’t lose heart. Christ is in us. We will find a way, for God is taking us there. The work of creation never ceases.