“The import of the commandment against killing is this: In the first place, we should not harm anyone… In the second place, this commandment is violated not only when a person actually does evil, but also when he fails to do good to his neighbor, or, though he has the opportunity, fails to prevent, protect and save him from suffering bodily harm or injury.”

– Martin Luther, The Large Catechism

Beloved of God,

The church building is a quiet place these days.  Too quiet.  As I’ve ridden my bicycle to Peace in recent weeks, there have been days when not a single car has crossed my path.  Much of any given day I’m the only body here at Peace.  Yes, the building is abnormally quiet—and yet my days are full of people: phone calls, ZOOM meetings, collaborations with Peace staff and leader, conversations with pastoral colleagues, virtual huddles with our Tech Team to produce videos and plan ways for maintaining connection with each other during this time of forced separation.

The shift to this new world happened so swiftly that many of us found ourselves reeling; yet many of us are finding ways to acclimate ourselves to this new normal, which we now know will be in place at least through May 4^th.  In the process of acclimation, some of us are discovering capacities we didn’t know we had.  A recent phone call to the Sunde household revealed that, with a little ingenuity and a few strategic purchases, face shields were being made for a local medical team.  Another phone exchange revealed how Michael T. was becoming the “go-to” coffee and chocolate supplier to his neighborhood using Fair Trade items that would otherwise sit untouched in the Peace narthex.  Working from their home studio, Jon and James have recorded music to embroider my weekly audio and video messages; and Laura B. has been writing original music to accompany the Holy Week reflections written by Boots W—and on it goes. The upshot?  This novel virus is unleashing novel ways of serving others—God’s Spirit is alive and well among us and for that we can give thanks!

If your household has discovered new ways of connecting with and serving others, I’d love to hear about it!  Please share it with me via phone or email.

Brother Martin, in excavating the deeper layers of the 5^th Commandment, reveals that at its core the prohibition to murder is more than a line in the sand God commands us not to cross—it is an invitation to proactively look out for the welfare of our neighbor.  This kind of proactive commitment to care for those around us is in high demand these days.  As much as our focus of care surely should be on those within our family and household circle, can we also extend our field of vision to include neighbors who may have needs we can help address?  I know that many of you are doing just that—and doing so while maintaining proper safety protocols!  You, my friends, are doing God’s work!  While the 24/7 flood of dire news about this pandemic can have a debilitating effect on us, making us cautious about every interaction, and causing us to turn in on ourselves, it need not be so among us.  Through the centuries people of faith have demonstrated in a variety of ways both great and small what neighbor-love can look like.  We continue in that long stream.

Pastor Erik