A couple weeks ago, I mentioned how special Ash Wednesday was for me this year. Imposing ashes is always a deeply meaningful and even intimate moment as I see the face and cradle the head of so many beloved children of God. With each swipe of ash, I feel the weight of what it means to bless the gift of your mortality. But this year was different.
Rather than feeling the shadow of death that hangs over us, this year was marked by a tremendous feeling of joy and hope. As I said to some of you, marking people for death never felt more life-giving. It was good to see you. It was good to connect, however brief. It was good to be reminded that despite our dusty existence, we are creatures of community.
I felt that same sense of joy on Friday when I received an email from Advocate Health Systems letting me know I could make an appointment to get my first vaccine shot. With the status of clergy unclear in Illinois, I had resigned myself to the fact that I probably wouldn’t be vaccinated until May or June. I’m so very grateful to Advocate for making vaccines available for faith leaders and to a colleague for making sure I knew about it.
Receiving that code to register for a vaccine appointment was like seeing the first signs of tulips appearing in my flower bed. The stirrings of new life always bring hope and give us the strength to keep going. It’s a sign that the world’s coming back to life after a long winter nap.
With more and more people receiving their own notification that they can now make a vaccine appointment, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. There is signs of life–of the world waking up again. But amidst the hope and joy, as we give thanks for the promise of new life, it’s also good for us to remember how many didn’t survive. We continue to pray for families that lost loved ones and grieve the many other loses we’ve experienced along the way.
In a couple weeks we’ll mark the one-year anniversary of moving our worship online. We’ll have a special moment in worship on March 21 to commemorate this milestone moment and honor all the moments we’ve had along the way. Until then, I give thanks for the lengthening days, the growing sprouts, and the promise of resurrection.
In Love,
Pastor Annette