2 Lent - John 3:1-17

There's a virus going around; maybe you've heard.

The technical term for it is fear.

It is spreading very quickly and infecting an alarming number of people.

It has a new symptom which has replaced the others in the headlines recently.

Instead of immigrants and guns and female presidents and capitalism and socialism and

crime and compromised elections and the fate of the environment and/or the economy, now we have coronavirus.

This threat is so scary that even Californians are using water to wash hands.

Concerns have been expressed about the safety of worship, not because of the real

danger—the presence of God—but because we're in public, which is where this invisible virus hangs out.

We touch each other when we share the peace.

We share a sacred meal together.

We share these two ritual acts with the early Christians, who were mocked and avoided and feared and admired throughout the Roman empire because they regularly touched the contagious: the sick, the quarantined, the dying and the dead.

They acted like Jesus, who was criticized for doing the same things, but who made others

clean instead of becoming unclean himself.

They were immunized against fear with weekly injections of the Jesus story.

They showed compassion for others before concern for self.

With that in mind, I invite you to continue to share the peace with one another, because

the health of relationships and our whole community depend upon it, but please

do so attentively.

Some people will not want to take your hand or touch you, so honor them with a wave

and a smile—I've not heard of anyone catching coronavirus from a smile yet.

I also invite you to take Communion, to receive Christ into your bloodstream, which you

can do completely with only bread or only wine, because he is present in both.

Some people will take bread and wine, others bread only, others will come forward for a

blessing only, and still others will stay in their seat.

All are welcome to participate as fully or as little as they deem best.

Please worship as you feel comfortable without judging anyone else who makes