Get Me to the Church On Time?

Faith communities of every background were caught off guard earlier this week by the Ontario government's announcement that places of worship can open as of today. I'm assuming that this means mosques can welcome the faithful for prayers today, synagogues tomorrow, churches on Sunday. The word on the street is that this decision is due to pressure from the evangelical Christian crowd who have been lobbying for this in the categories of essential service and freedom of religion. 

While this may be the reality, most mainline churches will stay closed for the time being, perhaps to the Fall. I roll my eyes at those who seem almost sanctimonious about keeping the doors shut, as though it is virtuous. Sure, it is prudent for aged congregations to stay home, but  its hardly worth celebrating or shaming others. And as for the supposed evangelical/mainline divide, many of the churches which have been pressing for reopening are in the GTHA and the southwest of the province anyway, so they are still under prohibition. 

Curiously, this permission is not extended to weddings and funerals, both of which are traditionally services of worship. Mind you, in the past few decades both "match and dispatch" have drifted away from being celebrations and commemorations within the context of faith communities. By the time I retired three years ago I did very few weddings, in part because most couples chose venues other than churches and without religious content. This suited me fine, because I really didn't want to do weddings that didn't include an emphasis on making a covenant before God. I rarely did funerals or memorials for those without a connection to the congregation I was serving because too many were  odd and sometimes inappropriate gatherings which certainly didn't require my presence as a Christian minister. 

Actually, I feel badly for couples whose weddings have been postponed or cancelled. They should have the opportunity to celebrate with family and friends, although there is plenty of evidence that the party aspect is a recipe for infection. Funerals are even more poignant. We will Zoom the memorial of a friend tomorrow where only a few family members will be physically present. They deserve the support of their congregation and others. 

I would be open to returning to worship under certain circumstances but I can also wait for a few more months. We likely wouldn't be permitted to sing and certainly couldn't greet one another if we did come together. I appreciate what our pastor son Isaac has been doing online. 

What do you think about all this? Should churches and other faith communities be allowed to assemble? What about weddings and funerals?