Remain apart
A movie theater marquee proclaims the coronavirus quarantine. (Photo Courtesy of Jason Valendy)
March 23, 2020
Maybe you have been thinking about the idea of "being set apart" these days.
In religious terms, being "set apart" is another way of thinking about what is "sacred" or what is "holy." The sacred or the holy is that which is set apart. For some reason, I forget that being set apart does not mean it is better, but it is reserved for a certain purpose. Thus, we do not have tailgates in the Sanctuary, not because the Sanctuary is better than other places and cannot be “tainted by a party”, but because that place is set apart for certain purposes.
What might it look like to consider this time where we are all set apart from one another as a sacred time? Many sacred moments in the Bible are scary. Maybe you can recall stories of humans encountering the sacred and holy and the words come to the human, "do not be afraid." This current set apart time is uniquely scary, for many of us and we are trying to not be afraid.
So to recap, we are set apart. We are a little fearful. We have voices reminding us to no be afraid. We are forced to listen more closely and gracefully than ever before. We are being called to do things in a new way.
This may not be the ideal or dreamy picture we imagine, but is it possible that this time (like all time) is still sacred?
May our time be sacred - even at 6 feet apart or digitally.