It has been a very long eleven months, longer than any of us could have imagined as Lent began in 2020. We have not come out of Lent. We did not celebrate Holy Thursday. We did not gather at the cross on Good Friday. We did not unite our voices in a joyous melody on Easter Sunday.
We are carrying the Long Lent with us as we wander in this foreign land called COVID 19. All the familiar markers of our lives were not there these many months. Yes, we gathered for worship, though we sit like lepers, separate and cut off. Now the pandemic has forced us out of our sanctuaries again.
I ask your pardon today as I have need to write about this Long Lent as a pastor knows it. We have journeyed with our flocks through uncharted lands, seeking a place where we can gather without fear. We had hoped we had found that place but are now driven by things we cannot see as they turn the world upside down.
A pastor is a shepherd whom God has called to tend His flock. We grow to love His flock, caring for them with the gifts God has given us. We rejoice with them at the font as the promise of new life in Christ is shown in Holy Baptism. We patiently teach these baptized children what the Father's promise means for them. We have pride as they affirm their faith.
We guide them as they plan to marry as a witness to the oneness of love we have in Christ. When their lives are hurt, we listen to their challenges, struggles, and heartaches. We know the routine of a hospital, for we have visited those who are ill. We sit with sheep of His flock in care centers as age draws life away. We bring them the Holy Supper so they may have confidence that even in the face of death, God's mercy is theirs.
Our hearts ache as we commend people we have known and loved in Christ to their resting place. We weep with their families, in the hospital room, the hospice, their home, at the grave. We often weep in our studies as the weight of years of losses inhabits our hearts.
In this Long Lent, we can only watch from a distance as His flock faces the pandemic. We cannot extend our touch for fear it may carry sickness and death. Yes, posts on social media, newsletters, phone calls, and visits from a 'safe distance' can be done and are with compassion.
Still, we are the shepherds of God's flock, and a shepherd longs to be with His flock. He longs to guide them to the Lord's green pastures. He wants to defend them from the wolves known as COVID 19. He simply wants to be among the flock.
When this Long Lent will end, who can say, save God? It will end, I pray God soon, so Your shepherds can be with the flock You have given into their care.
