When the Church Ran Away

In June of 2017 Nancy and I had the good fortune to share in a trip with her brother, Bill, and his wife, Cathy, to visit their son and our nephew, Andrew, and his lovely wife, Christine, while they were stationed in Germany with the Air Force. Christine and Andrew had arranged time off to travel with us and planned a comprehensive and thorough trip around the country which included an overnight stay in the walled castle town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the red roofed city above the Tauber River, was officially founded in 1274, though its roots are believed to date back into the 10th century. It was an amazing place to visit and wander through the streets, shops, restaurants and on the covered wall which circles nearly the entire community, allowing the history and enduring beauty of this piece of God's creation to seep into your soul. 

While there we had the good fortune to take a tour of the oldest part of the town near sunset of our first day. Guided by the Night Watchman, Hans Georg Baumgartner, pictured above with Christine and Andrew, we saw the still working, thick, heavy wooden city gate which was constructed in 1511, heard how the term 'manhole' first came into being as the small entryway in the gate could be opened to allow one person at a time to enter the walled city after dark (for a small fee, of course!), and learned of the city's colorful and poignant story through much of what we today call 'history'.

One of those stories which the Night Watchman told captured my attention and has lingered in my soul since the moment he spoke the words. While standing near a small monument in town and speaking about the time of the Black Plague in Europe, approximately 1347-1351, Hans recalled vividly and clearly that this particular monument stands as a testament to those who stayed to care for the people of the community after everyone else had left. With a pause only a good storyteller could appreciate, Hans looked over the gathered crowd and then went on, "The priests of the church had left, everyone of the church had left, taking the money they had, they left the people to face the misery before them." The monument was a gift to remember those who stayed . . . and a testimony against those who left, and notably among those who left were the good folk of the church, led by the priests.

I could not shake his words from my soul then . . . and I cannot now. I remember, first, being dismayed, then heart-sick, then ashamed that this is the story of the church which is daily told by the Night Watchman, whose stories are told today in multiple languages for all to hear and understand. Then, after much time and prayer, I came to understand that the words George Santayana are here incredibly true, "Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it" and I resolved in my ministry that such a moment in history would not happen again, so as far as I could help it.

It is powerfully important that the Night Watchman continue to tell the story, lest the church forget the high cost of leaving when most you are needed by those unable to save themselves. Ironically, it was a moment such as that, some 1300 years earlier which left Jesus alone to face the cross, His disciples having run away for safety. Sometimes you stand with the victims, sometimes you stand with the condemned, but always you stand in faith, trusting God's call to place you, keep you and protect you, though plagues or the judgment of others threaten your life.

Such is the case today as our global community faces COVID 19. The Church of Jesus Christ, in all of its many expressions and understandings, must today stand in faith with the victims of the virus, those who inadvertently spread it and those who are the heath care providers who battle it. The Church must be the connective tissue of Hope between the isolated and fearful, offer Peace to the anxiety-ridden and the paranoid, be the Grace which does not seek to place blame, but pursue answers, extends Healing to the sick and struggling, speaks Mercy to the overworked and understaffed medical teams which have no option about how they can respond, and deliberately, without reserve, Love the 'other' enough to strive towards mutuality in working towards answers for every nation, every people, every faith and every ethnicity. Just as this virus knows no geographical or human boundaries, neither can the words and actions of the Church reflect any sort of arrogance, superiority or separation in being a part of the global community which is seeking global answers.

Social isolation and self-quarantine, new bywords in the public approach to containing COVID 19, must also become in the Church the call to action in creatively worshiping together while apart, finding avenues of providing supplies and necessities to the immuno-compromised and vulnerable who dare not venture out of their homes, and the impetus for using the technology of the current generation to tie together disparate living situations with the bonds of loving, compassionate sisters and brothers reaching out over the miles and challenges. Loneliness and depression cannot be considered acceptable collateral damages in this moment. As Jesus called Zacchaeus down out of his tree of marginalization and chose to eat with sinners and tax collectors, as Jesus cleansed the lepers and sat at the well talking with the Samaritan woman, and as Jesus lifted up the efforts of friends who brought their companion to Him by way of lowering him down through a hole in a roof, so Jesus gives to the Church today an imperative to be the friend to others we pray Jesus is to us. Simply put, we will not ever be the Church of Jesus Christ in the best of times if we cannot live into being the Church of Jesus Christ in the hardest of times . . . and now may well be one of the truest measures of whether we understand the Good News or not.

I wonder what the Night Watchman of the global village will tell future generations about the work of the Church in the face of COVID 19 in this age. Will it be a story of shame and dismay? Or the story of Faith overcoming fear, Peace quieting panic, Patience stilling paranoia, Love dispelling loneliness and Hope reshaping hysteria? Only time . . . and the choices the Body of Christ makes in rediscovering the meaning of Baptism in the current age . . . will tell, yet know this: The Night Watchman will tell a story. You and I will determine what story he tells.

I pray it is one of Healing, Wholeness, Renewal, Resurrection and Hope in God's Global Family, regardless the age. I pray it is of the nearing kingdom being seen and experienced in holy and sacred ways by the least among us . . . for therein, we have cared for the One who makes us all.

Something to ponder on the journey in these days.