Login, rejoice and Zoom in
Login, rejoice and Zoom in
Today will be a joyful day
Login, rejoice and Zoom in
These were the words of the opening song for a recent online worship service by the Unitarian Universalist Justice Arizona Network (UUJAZ). They reflect how quickly our lives have changed in the last several weeks as we face the challenges of staying safe and yet connected during the rapid spread of the coronavirus in our congregations and communities.
Singing these new words to the familiar UU hymn from my home some 2,000 miles away, I felt some of the tension leave my shoulders. I was smiling and my foot was tapping. It was a simple and uncomplicated moment of joy and connection during this time of uncertainty and physical distancing.
That experience reminded me of how important it is to find moments of joy and connect with others each day. Keeping a daily gratitude journal has long been one of my spiritual practices. I’ve noticed how even more important this simple spiritual practice is in keeping me grounded and centered in these uncertain times.
We also need each other to survive. Find safe and creative ways to remain connected to the communities and people that nourish you. The coronavirus has physically cut us off from our spiritual communities, work, school, and other groups along with friends and some family members. Talking with colleagues, friends, and family or attending on-line services or events can help reduce the feelings of isolation, anxiety, fear, boredom or vulnerability.
It’s also important during this time to take good care of ourselves. We are experiencing more stress due to the uncertainty about the virus and the many ways our lives and routines have been suddenly been turned upside down. Physical distancing along with constantly learning and adapting is exhausting. We need more rest and space than usual. As disability justice advocates remind us, our worth is not tied to our productivity. And that is even more true during this pandemic.
Looking beyond our own needs, remember the most vulnerable among us and those dealing with heightened risks brought on by being poor, homeless, undocumented or imprisoned. During this crisis, find new ways to join with others in coordinated actions to support them and uphold human rights and oppose racism, bigotry, and xenophobia in all forms.
I want to close with the words of my dear colleague, Rev. Theresa I. Soto, lead minister at First Unitarian Church of Oakland. This was written before the spread of the coronavirus, but its message is even more needed today.
In this community, we hold hope close. We don’t
always know what comes next, but that cannot dissuade
us
We don’t always know just what to do, but that will not
mean
that we are lost in the wilderness. We rely on the
certainty
beneath, the foundation of our values and ethics. We
are the people who return to love like a North Star and
to
the truth that we are greater together than we are alone.
Our hope does not live in some glimmer of an indistinct
future.
Rather, we know the way to the world of which we
dream,
and by covenant and the movement forward of one right
action
and the next, we know that one day we will arrive at
home.
Rev. Theresa I. Soto, in Spilling the Light: Meditations on Hope and Resilience
May we feel held in this virtual community of hope, love, and compassion. May our faith and actions show that hope can’t be quarantined. And that together, we will one day arrive home.
Rev. Karen Lee Scrivo is the affiliated community justice minister at Paint Branch Unitarian Universalist Church in Adelphi, MD