Camping

Yesterday, I managed a screen-free day. Well, almost. A zoom session with my colleague, Adrian, in the morning; and a mega-zoom with all the family in the evening. Adrian and I are in daily touch with each other, for mutual support as much as anything; and to keep abreast of all the changes we are managing, including various online posts or video recordings.

I'm glad to say that all the family seem to be well, and nearly all of them still working - from home, of course. We talked a bit about the long-term effects of this Cv crisis: the move to home-working, on line - and how that had been slow to take off, pre-Cv; the seemingly greater readiness of church members to meet via zoom, than actually attend meetings; the greater appreciation we might have of friends and family, having been separated for a time; the prospect of some significant mental health issues in the future as a result of anxiety and despair, and interruption to the normal end-of-life rites of passage. (I think particularly of the parents, whose 13-year old boy died, and they could not attend his funeral.) On a more light-hearted note, also the prospect of a baby boom around the end of this year!

It is natural to try to give a frame of reference to what we are going through. I have already had a bit of a go, by writing about the Unintended Sabbath. Another analogy might be camping. It's something we have never done as a family, largely because Les prefers her mod cons! But I did camp as a Boy Scout (Patrol Leader, Kestrels, 1st Colney Heath Scout Troop, if you're interested!). In those days, 'glamping' had never been heard of. We did everything by the book  - 'Scouting for Boys'! But even modern camping has some similarities with our present predicament:

• it is temporary
• limited in terms of resources
• challenging, being vulnerable to 'the elements'
• being in close proximity to people, in confined space
• calling for skills not often used e.g. occupying yourself without tv e.g. playing games
• appreciating nature more

But just as camping is mostly enjoyable, we learn now to 'enjoy' what we have as a temporary respite for 'normal' life. The big difference, of course, is this is no holiday; we don't know when it will end; and we won't be returning to 'normal'. So I think some of the journeys in the Bible are more akin to this. Take Abraham for example. He set off on a long journey, 'not knowing where he was going'. He would periodically pitch camp, often in alien territory. And there he would build an altar to the God he believed was with him, and whose promises he trusted. Just so, we live with these temporary circumstances, but we try to 'build altars', that is to say put down markers  - meet with God right where we are, trusting him to lead us through.

So the services we have been recording for tomorrow; the many 'virtual' prayer times which are popping up all over the place - these are ways of saying 'we are not alone.' We trust God to lead us on.

Here is a prayer from Richard Rohr:

 

God, we ask that all who are affected by this virus be held in your loving care. In this time of uncertainty, help us to know what is ours to do. We know you did not cause this suffering but that you are with us in it and through it. Help us to recognize your presence in acts of kindness, in moments of silence, and in the beauty of the created world. Grant peace and protection to all of humanity for their well-being and for the benefit of the earth.