As churches across the
country prepare for Easter services, religious leaders are now
struggling with decisions to obey health recommendations while
practicing their rights to religious freedom. In my state of Ohio,
the COVID-19 virus is ravaging communities large and small, and
people are working very hard to flatten the curve of the rate of
infection to stagger the number of new cases over a longer period, so
that people have better access to care.
Ohio Governor Mike
DeWine's new stay-at-home order remains in effect through May 1. The
order, while explicitly telling all Ohioans to stay at home unless
they are engaged in essential work or activity, ceases operations of
all non-essential operations, prohibits all public or private
gatherings, and outlines what is considered an essential activity to
leave home for.
Church is exempt in the
order; however, DeWine offered a strong rebuke to churches like Solid
Rock Church that are continuing to meet. He said religious leaders
gathering their members are endangering their families and strangers.
DeWine said …
“Any pastor who
brings people together in close proximity to each other, a large
group of people, is making a huge mistake. It is not a Christian
thing to do. It’s not in the Judeo-Christian tradition to hurt
people.”
To accommodate their
parishioners, religious communities across the state are utilizing
the various technologies at their disposal, from real-time virtual
“gatherings” in Zoom to prerecorded devotions via website
portals. Whereas digital initiatives were previously supplemental,
they now have become the central means of convening during the
pandemic – at least for those adhering to social distancing.
Compliant religious
leaders are reminding their congregants that the tenets of religion
are best served by not meeting during the coronavirus pandemic. They
believe Easter this year is an occasion for charity and empathy
toward others. Some are offering the additional instruction that the
Easter holiday (the liturgical calendar) is a construct, not
something necessarily bound to observance on a certain day.
In hard-struck New York,
the situation is dire. Rev. Joseph Jude Gannon, the parish priest of
St. Gerard Majella, a Roman Catholic church in the Hollis section of
Queens, New York, said, “We are a Resurrection people, and the
Resurrection is more than just one day.”
Here in Ohio, many
Christians understand that their faith is bigger than a physical
building, or in the case of drive-in services, bigger than a parking
lot, but some communities – like the aforementioned Solid Rock –
continue to meet and defy reason.
The Solid Rock Church in
Monroe, Ohio (Butler County), issued an official statement saying …
“As Christians we are
charged by Jesus Christ to obey the laws of our land. Therefore, if
the laws of our nation should ever change with respect to our First
Amendment right to assemble, thereby restricting us from having our
church doors open, we will willing comply.
“If there has ever
been a time in the history of our world when we all need God’s
help, it is now. For that reason, we believe that the doors of Solid
Rock Church should remain open. It is in these times of crisis that
the church should play a critical role as a place of refuge… A
place where anyone can come to pray, to worship, and to find healing
and hope.”
I am amazed at the
insistence of other congregations to invite all community members to
public drive-in observances. Such is the case in Beavercreek, Ohio,
where four consecutive services will will take place on Easter, tying
up public officials for over five hours. Here is the online invite
and information:
“With new information
and daily changes, we have the assurance that God’s promises never
change. The greatest promise was the resurrection of His son on
Easter morning! So we will safely celebrate that together with an
Easter Drive-In at Be Hope Church – Beavercreek Campus.
“With approval from
the State of Ohio Health Department, City of Beavercreek Planning
Department, Beavercreek Police Department, and the City Manager, we
are hosting an outdoor, Easter service drive-in at 9am, 10:30am,
12pm, and 1:30pm.
“You and your family
can experience the HOPE of Christ’s resurrection with us from the
safety of your own car as we celebrate Easter together. To fully
enjoy this unique, drive-in experience, please enter 1850 N.
Fairfield Rd. (Beavercreek Campus) at the traffic light. Our parking
lot greeters will direct you where to park.
“Everyone is asked to
remain in their vehicle for the duration of the service so we can
ensure our community’s health and safety.
We have spots for 100
vehicles per service. Click the button below to reserve your spot.
You may also watch online at live.behope.church.
I
wish everyone a happy Easter. I also wish everyone a safe Easter –
that observance requires social distancing, obeying the order of your
state, and taking every possible consideration for your fellow human
beings. If that means rescheduling services for later in the year or
canceling services altogether, then so be it. There are many viable
alternatives to meeting face-to-face or even car-to-car on Easter
Sunday. These are drastic times like we have never seen before. They
require some drastic measures. A single life saved by sheltering in
place is a precious gift of grace and understanding.
People
opposing public gatherings and congregations of crowds during Easter
are not heathens or atheists: they simple want to insure that the
public won't break health rules and create unneeded complications.
They want to cut down on the spread of the virus, to reduce the
unnecessary heavy traffic, to leave public servants free to respond
to emergencies, and to guarantee all people are safe from accidental
and unsuspecting dangers. In short, this Easter we must be willing to
make important sacrifices to heal a very sick nation.
“For
where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
(Matthew
18:20 ESV )
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