As I write, we are beginning to return to “normal.” No one is really sure what that means. There are concerns that plans will be thwarted by unpredictable things such as new COVID variants.
There are also a daunting number of serious challenges to face and to deal with. None are truly new to us but we have learned that we can no longer accept any of them as normal. The reality of them and the imperative to find better solutions have been amplified during the pandemic.
In our cover story Jamie Foley discusses loss, grief and the long road back from COVID exile. When this issue is published, I expect that his words will still be as timely as they were the first time I read them. I also expect that I will revisit this article many times as it helps me to remember where we’ve been and to consider what we might and must do.
As he writes, “None of us has really been able to escape loss. All of us are discovering, whether we want to or not, how difficult it can be to endure losses, and just how capable we usually are of surviving them.”
My wife and I are now fully vaccinated. After living in our little bubble for 17 months, we have made a few cautious visits with friends. Each time I get a little less anxious. We are still pondering if and when we will once again attend in-person worship, go shopping, dine out or go to the theatre. As we’ve done throughout the pandemic, I know we’ll get by with a little help from our friends and that God will continue to be with us in it all.
Jamie Foley writes, “My hope, coming out of all this, is that we learn, finally, the value of some things that we have consistently undervalued—the importance of presence, the crucial search for belonging, the desperate need we have for each other, for variety, for hope and for change.”
That is my hope, too.
Glimpses
The Anglican Journal and Canada Lutheran are publishing a new series, Companions in Faith (p. 6), that presents Anglican and Lutheran perspectives about matters of mutual importance. The first explores how full communion in Canada fits into global ecumenism.
The new worship supplement All Creation Sings supports worshipping communities in times of change such as ours. Learn how in Q & A, (p. 15).
Many Lutheran congregations will likely sing A Mighty Fortress Is Our God on Reformation Sunday. You may be surprised to learn that only the title comes from Psalm 46 while most of its content is based on the David/Goliath story in 1 Samuel 17 (p. 9).
Kenn Ward, Editor
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