As many practice social distancing and gatherings are cancelled, the Outlook seeks to provide resources for our Lenten journey and ways to stay connected to each other during this challenging season. To that end, we are recording a weekly devotional, about 10 minutes long, that you can view at your convenience. We use editor Jill Duffield's new book "Lent In Plain Sight" as our guide, but having the book is not necessary! We also invite you to use our weekly lectionary reflections, "Looking into the lectionary" for weekly worship, Bible study or devotions. We are grateful for your witness and ministry and we are praying for you. If there are resources you need but cannot find, let us know and we will do our best to locate or create them! … [Read more...]
A prayer in the time of the coronavirus
Guest commentary by Jeffrey Myers God our Creator, who calls the stars by name and sets the fireflies dancing, who makes the mountains burst into song and emboldens the purple crocus pushing up through the snow, we pause to give deep thanks for the beauty which surrounds us always and for the promise that life goes on. Set in our hearts a hope more resilient than the coronavirus, and assure us of your power to bring good even out of the most formidable diseases. God of healing and hope, we pray that you would cool the fevered brow of the sick and speak of love stronger than death to those who lay dying. Give healing compassion to all who care for the sick, and encourage those facing isolation with your peace-giving presence. We pray that coronavirus would move us to reflect upon our responsibility, individually and together, in caring for creation. Let your righteous anger spur us to make the long-overdue changes, so that all of creation might have room to breathe. Rein … [Read more...]
Congregational leadership: Responding to COVID-19
Guest commentary by Susan Krummel For leaders in congregations, the current health crisis is new territory. I was in worship on Sunday, March 8 in a congregation with which I am very familiar. I noticed that there were about half as many people as usual there. This is the time to begin planning ways for your congregation to continue to be a source of worship, comfort, challenge and peace even when we cannot gather together for worship. One hundred years ago during the flu epidemic that followed World War I, congregations were not allowed to have worship services for several weeks. They did not have all the electronic tools we have today for staying in touch and had to find other ways of staying connected. They found ways to be the church even in the midst of such changed circumstances. Congregational leaders will be the ones to make the best decisions about which events will continue as usual – including worship – and which you will alter in some way during the coronavirus … [Read more...]
Daniel Deitrich
“I don’t think I could follow the way of Jesus without the support of those around me or without the practices we return to regularly.” – Songwriter Daniel Deitrich on why he remains in the church, despite its flaws (in Religion News Service) … [Read more...]
A village full of goodness (40 years ago)
40 years ago — March 17, 1980 “During the first four years of the 1940s, a little Huguenot village perched on a plateau on the mountains of southeastern France saved the lives of more than five thousand refugees while the Germans were occupying France, and while the SS troops were stationed near them, ready to wipe out what many called ‘that nest of Jews in Huguenot country.’ … If goodness involves not only following the negative commandment against killing, but also obeying the positive injunction to be your brother’s keeper by preventing others from killing, no matter what the risk, then the people of Le Chambon were of the very substance of goodness, for they killed no one, and hated no one, in those murderous times, and they saved people (mostly children at first, and later whole families) who were marked for the extermination camps. “About a year ago I wrote a book, ‘Lest Innocent Blood be Shed,’ to tell the story of how and why these French Protestants endangered their … [Read more...]
A theology of leadership during crisis?
Guest commentary by Matthew J. Skolnik It appears to me that as the church wrestles with how to respond to COVID-19, that it is helpful for individuals and communities to develop and/or review our personal theologies of leadership during difficult times. Developing and having a personal theology of leadership is helpful because those who internalize their prayerful study have a foundation to direct their actions. Some of us may need to pick up our previous work, while reflecting and adapting it. Others among us may never have taken the opportunity to develop a general, robust and healthy theology of leadership. Wherever you find yourself in this discussion, I encourage you to take a next step. The church always needs stronger and healthier leaders. Who knows? Maybe what you learn through the coronavirus outbreak will have a profound impact on your overall trajectory of leadership. The current context of COVID-19 Leaders of all types of institutions and organizations are … [Read more...]
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