THE LINE

One of the things I have missed the least during COVID has been waiting or standing in line.  Except for the checkout lines in grocery stores, there really haven’t been many lines at most places.  And waiting has revolved more around waiting for a better internet connection, or for your Zoom expression to “unfreeze,” or for the latest case numbers to lower so your favorite places can reopen, or for the results from medical or COVID testing.

As the long lines snaked through the church's two parking lots during one of the recent COVID testing days, I thought about the hundreds of people and families in those cars.  Some with children, some bringing elderly family members, some frightened because of symptoms they may be having, some afraid of exposure where they were required to go to work or to care for someone else...

We have no idea if the people in this line of God's children wear masks when they go out, or who they plan to vote for, or if they're racist, or if they've never stepped inside a church.  Right now they are all just frightened people who want to find out if they or someone they love might be sick.  What a wonderful way to look at the people out there that we can serve - in such a simple way.  But maybe that's what we're supposed to do.  Love and serve others simply with no benefit to us.  Just because we are the church, outside in the parking lot just as much as in the pews.  And we can pray for them.  This is not just "all" we can offer, but one of the BEST things we can offer.