H1N1 (Swine Flu) & Sunday Morning

The following is the text of an email I sent out today:

Dear family of Saint John,

With the spread of the H1N1 virus (Swine Flu) last week, many are concerned about what impact the virus might have on church – a gathering where we are in close proximity to one another. Here are a few thoughts.

First, come to church. Fear should not keep us from worshiping our Lord. In fact, we are instructed that “perfect love casts out all fear.” Certainly, if you or someone in your family is sick, it is best to stay home – please do not put others at risk. But otherwise, there is no reason to stay away from worship. We worship every year through cold and flu season, without any great danger to any of our worshippers.

As we do throughout the season of Easter, we will be celebrating the sacrament of Holy Communion at both services tomorrow. It may ease your mind that I keep a bottle of hand sanitizer on my bench, which I use numerous times during the service – especially prior to the celebration of Holy Communion. Bishop Mike Rinehart included the following comment in a recent email to clergy: “Everything I have read points to common cup being the safest and most “clean” method of distribution. Why? Because our hands carry more germs than our mouths. In common cup, wine goes from bottle to cup to mouth. No hands. With little cups, hands put the cups in trays and in some congregations hand take them out. Everything I have read supports common cup.” My information is the same as Bishop Mike’s – I know it runs counter to what we would assume, but common cup is the safest method of receiving Holy Communion.

When it is time to share the peace with one another, it is not necessary to shake hands – especially not if that makes you uncomfortable because of what we have been watching on the news. Feel free to great one another with a smile and a nod. (I will say the same thing tomorrow). Of course, the issue is not hand-to-hand contact, it is what you do with your hands after – when you put them to your face, especially to your mouth, nose, and eyes. It will also not hurt my feelings if you don’t shake my hand before or after the service – although I will also have hand sanitizer in the narthex which I will be using.

Finally, remember to pray. For those who are sick now. For those who have dealt with the sickness of a family member. For those who are paralyzed by fears. This may quickly blow over, and nothing may come of it – or it may escalate into a crisis. Either way, we are people who pray. And just as we are taking precautions to not spread the flu, take precautions to not spread fear. Watch for facts, and stay level-headed.

We are the church. We worship God, we share in God’s sacraments of grace, and we pray. Our trust and security is not in what we hear on the evening news, but in the one who promises to be our Good Shepherd. Indeed, it is fitting that tomorrow morning we will hear about the Good Shepherd and read together the 23rd Psalm: “I will fear no evil.”

God’s blessings, and I will see you tomorrow.

Pastor David

(Please feel free to forward this message)