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"A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of |
As of this writing, the congregation that I serve has just experienced its 22nd week of no in-person gatherings for worship. We have however, worshiped virtually, and like with anything else you do with practice, we have continued to improve and diversify what we do and how we do it. Consequently, because of the virtual worship services (we have pre-recorded and posted them since Pentecost), I have now had my Sunday mornings free, and I have to say, I am starting to see why people may choose not to attend church on Sunday mornings! (GASP)
For most Sunday mornings since I started my first paid-position in a congregation back in 2006, I have been obligated to be in a church building on Sunday mornings. There have been only a handful of absences due to vacation and any other misses were on account of doing something related to the church (mission trips, traveling to conferences, etc.). So over the months of June and July, I have been in uncharted territory. I have experienced many things on Sunday mornings I otherwise wouldn't in my ministry career such as:
- not set an alarm for the crack of dawn
- drank an entire pot of coffee at my leisure
- read books (mostly non-faith based), while drinking said coffee
- watch an entire episode of CBS Sunday Morning live (not on the app or DVR)
- participate in a worship service with my family without the requirement to have to do anything
Last week I was having a conversation with another pastor and as we discussed the worship plans of our respective churches he divulged to me, "isn't it kind of nice to have Sunday mornings to yourself?" I wasn't at all taken aback by what he said because he just said what I had already been thinking. I'll be honest and say what many others are probably thinking, yea, it is kinda nice. After a long week of working and accommodating all of the various changes brought on by the virus, yea, it is kind of nice to not have to add another day to that. Many times, Saturdays are just as busy as any other day in the week for our family, so yea, its kind of nice to have an actual day of rest. Typically, my family and I try to work our vacations so as to not have to miss Sunday mornings, and that often means returning late on Saturdays as a result of trying to stretch as much time as you can in a week away. This past week, we spent time in the Great Smokey Mountains, we got home on Friday, and yea, it was kind of nice to have a few days to legit rest before starting a new week.
As a matter of fact, this past Sunday, you know what my family did? All of us, including our dog Creek, went to our beautiful downtown Belk-Tonawanda Park here in Monroe, sipped coffee as we walked along the creek that runs through the park, laughed as Creek frolicked in the grass, and breathed in the fresh air of a warm but beautiful morning. Then we returned home, sat down together as a family, and enjoyed worship as participants, with no responsibilities for what transpired (except I did put together the video and upload it earlier in the week). This service was extra memorable because communion was observed, and it was so special and unique to be able to do so as a family together. I'll never forget it. 
As we journeyed around the park together, I was thinking to myself about the uniqueness of my being able to do so on a Sunday morning, and I couldn't help but think of the French painter Georges Seurat's famous work "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" and the Broadway musical that it inspired, "Sunday in the Park with George." One of the many interpretations of the painting includes how the people depicted in the picture are cast in shadow. Of course there is many things that can be taken from that, but I resonated with that interpretation during this particular Sunday morning park stroll I felt a shadow of guilt was being cast over me in the midst of this unique Sunday morning experience. Guilt for enjoying the time with my family, regretting that I was not missing being with my church family more, concern over whether or not I was letting God down by not being in a more worshipful state during this culturally defined "Lord's Day."
Yet that guilt was soon painted over by comfort in the realization of knowing that minsters are people too. That there are times we need rest, that our families should never get our emotional leftovers, and that yes, God can be encountered in sanctuaries built painstakingly by humans hands as well as ones beautifully created by the words of the divine. I am ready to return to normalcy, and I am especially ready to gather with my beloved church family again, I miss them all. But when we do, I will return a different minister. A more understanding and informed minister. One who understands the value of rest, the potential explanation of the absence of a congregant who "just needed a day," and grateful to have had the opportunity to experience God in new and different ways.
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