Faces on Faith: Perhaps time for a good old-fashioned Christmas
As I write this reflection, the surge is subsiding. After more than a year and a half of the ups and downs of the coronavirus, we are seeing it subside. More people continue to be vaccinated each day. Vaccines are on the way for children. Many people are receiving booster shots. Positivity rates and hospitalization numbers are falling. We have much to be grateful for after a long and trying time.
One day in the midst of the most recent surge I was called to the emergency room for a pastoral emergency. It was a scene I will never forget. People wrapped in blankets were sitting in almost every seat. Others sat in wheelchairs and on the floor. Some sat outside. Before I was told that visiting was not permitted (for safety reasons), I glanced down the emergency room hallway to see people on stretchers. Every room was occupied and overflowing.
We need to be grateful for our heroic healthcare workers who served day in and day out in these kinds of conditions. They put their own health and safety at risk to care for the sick and suffering. Some became ill themselves, and too many lost their lives serving their neighbor in need. Thank a healthcare worker the next time you see one. They truly live out the call to love our neighbor.
Now we are all looking forward to things getting back to “normal.” But many disruptions and inconveniences remain. Supply lines have been disrupted. Cargo ships are anchored at sea, waiting to offload their goods. Officials are warning us that this will disrupt Christmas shopping. What are we to do?
Someone near and dear to me recently posted this: “The news has everyone in a frenzy stating that we need to purchase Christmas gifts now because there won’t be anything left come mid-November. Here’s a novel idea. Maybe we shouldn’t worry about the material things. Maybe we should just be grateful for the gift of family, friends, our health, a safe home, food on the table, memories, etc. The list goes on and on of what we have to be grateful for that doesn’t come with a price tag. Maybe this is God’s way of telling us it’s time for a good old-fashioned Christmas.”
Perhaps in our quest for a return to “normal” we should step back and consider how this ordeal has the potential to change us for the better. It could make us more grateful for the things that really matter, like the people who selflessly serve in healthcare, and the loved ones who are life’s greatest blessing.
The Rev. William “Bill” Van Oss is the rector at Saint Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church.