Renee Grems is a member of the Open Worship community. As we prepare to celebrate this Communion Sunday apart for the first time ever, she offers this reminder of what the act of taking communion is really about. 

A devotional with Pastor Jonathan featuring a poem written by Rev. Raymond H. Huse, “When Churches Are Closed,” in October 1918 during the Spanish Flu.

There are lots of ideas out there about why the Word “became flesh,” even though it seemed like bad news. Even though being flesh kind of sucked (and still does for all of us sometimes). But I believe that this happened, at least in part, to remind us how beautiful flesh is. The bottom line is that it takes courage to be flesh—especially in times like these.

Consider practicing the spiritual practice of gratitude through the duration of this pandemic. Add gratitude to your care toolkit. You might be surprised by how this spiritual practice can change the way you view things.

And we will look back on these times and remember the special challenges, but also remember the new ways we developed to connect, even at a distance.

I usually look forward to a Lenten practice of refreshing solitude. This has suddenly morphed into fearful isolation. Schools closed. Travel restricted. Quarantines established. Celebrations postponed. Jobs lost. Even worship by proxy. God, is this the new normal?

Sunday was the very first time many of us have ever done online-only church!