Gracelife Church in Edmonton locked down
Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them;
for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Matthew 6:1
I've been exchanging messages with son, Isaac, who is pastor of Trenton United Church, which is our congregation. Today begins yet another restrictive stay-at-home order for the province of Ontario. Because of the low COVID case count in our region for months, in-person worship was possible all through Lent, from Ash Wednesday through Good Friday. The congregation gathered for Easter Sunday as well, unlike last year when the service was virtual.
I asked what Trenton UC will do, and if there have been recommendations from the Region of which we're a part.While he can't be sure, he figures they will be back online for the next four weeks, especially since the coronavirus variants have shown up in our area and the case count is on the rise. We'll see what transpires.
This would be wise, from my perspective, faithful to Jesus' encouragement to "love your neighbour as yourself." I have no patience for those who insist that they literally have a divine right to flout health directives from governments in this country. Some congregations which have the best technological capability to broadcast worship are the least willing to observe the restrictions, even when they have been allowed a percentage of their capacity for in-person worship. They make lots of noise about freedom of religion and the pastors make themselves out as martyrs for the faith. The general public and many Christians are not impressed with what is actually arrogance and disregard for others.
You may have seen that as the stay-at-home order came into effect in Ontario a large church in Edmonton was closed by health authorities and police. This wasn't just a request, or order, because previous efforts had been defied by the congregation. The pastor spent time in jail after ignoring warnings. The closure involved locking the doors and surrounding the building with fencing. This standoff and action simply wasn't necessary, and the defiance of the congregation certainly wasn't in keeping with the message of the grace of Jesus Christ.
During our Lenten study of the Sermon on the Mount during Lent (in-person and via Zoom) we heard Jesus' warning about the hypocrites who like to parade their religious zeal before others and tells his disciples not to be like them. I believe in freedom of religious expression and I pray for those in places where there is actual persecution for their worship and practice.
What is happening with these Canadian communities of worship and their leaders isn't even close. Perhaps they could hold online study groups on the true nature of religious persecution and freedom. And read the Sermon on the Mount while they're at it.
2 comments:
Sad, isn't it, how people interpret their religious rights, and put others at risk, thinking they are martyrs and witnesses...I get a feeling of discomfort, too, when, in a restaurant, a group insist on saying grace quite loudly....I am very much a closet pray-er, stemming from that opening verse you posted here....If folk cannot see Christ in me in my daily walk and the way I treat others, something is terribly wrong.
I used to be an unobtrusive grace-sayer at restaurants and just got out of the habit. I agree with, Judy, you about the "look at me, aren't I religious" crowd. And curious that those who insist on their individual rights often don't respect the rights of women to make choices about their own bodies.
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