Wednesday night I watched a broadcast of Pub Theology, which is normally not a broadcast at all but rather a weekly gathering at The Friendly Spot in San Antonio hosted by a Methodist minister named Gavin Rodgers. He hosts various guests from different faith traditions, there is some great interfaith discussion. The guests on Wednesday night included Pastor Max Lucado and Rabbi Samuel Stahl.
They both drew parallels to the same kind of an idea. That the Holy Week in the Christian Tradition and Passover of the Jewish Tradition being a time of “hunkering down.” They pointed out how interesting it was that we are also currently “hunkered down” in the time of COVID 19. We only go out of our homes for essential work and critical errands.
In the Jewish tradition, we read in the Hebrew scriptures in the book of Exodus the Israelites had been in slavery to the Egyptian Pharaohs for a long time and had endured much suffering. God saw the suffering of his people and sent Moses to the Pharaoh with a message: “Send forth my people, so that they may serve Me.” The Pharaoh was given many warnings, but to no avail. God then sent upon Egypt ten terribly devastating plagues on the Egyptians. The last one killed all their firstborn children. While doing so, God spared the Israelites, “passing over” their homes, marked with lamb's blood. Can you imagine their state, “hunkered down” their homes in order to save their firstborn children?
Well, I would think in the time of COVID 19, we quite easily could. Especially as healthcare workers, doing our best with what equipment we may or may not have to protect our families. We are taking off our scrubs as soon as we get home, showering, social distancing, and certainly not going anywhere we don’t need to go - in order to keep our families safe. We are indeed “hunkered down.”
Holy Thursday, or in some in some Christian Traditions, “Maundy Thursday” is a commemoration of Jesus’s last supper with his disciples, hidden in the “Upper Room” from the Romans. The events that occurred in the “Upper Room,” are described in Matthew 26:1–29, Mark 14:12–25, Luke 22:7–20, and John 13:1–38. To sum up, Jesus knew of the events that would befall him, and he shared this with the Disciples. Much in the way we take in the terrible news of how many COVID 19 sufferers there are on our television news from our homes, Jesus shared he would be betrayed and die.
Yet Jesus in sharing this sad news, washes the feet of his Disciples, and gives them a commandment,
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” - John 1: 34
Today is Good Friday, a day when we recall the great suffering that Jesus endured out of Great Love. The Israelites endured great hardships out of Great Love as well. All the hunkering down, and suffering, serving to shine the light on the Divine Idea of Love.
I cannot help but view mitigation efforts and our work as health providers as acts of love. I even shared that with my faith community. In a written communication I sent out about COVID 19 at the request of the city health department, I wrote, “Anything you can do in the way of mitigation is a great act of compassion and love.”
I see your work through the lens of love, compassion, kindness, and in great service to all people.
I truly hope as frustrating and as difficult as all this is, that you might take a moment and see the Great Love you are emanating right here and now.
Eventually, the Israelites were given their freedom, and what a feeling that must have been. On Easter Sunday, of course the Resurrection! Passover and Easter are now holidays people celebrate with church, temple, and family gatherings – not in person this year, of course.
At these gatherings, from both faith traditions, I see these commonalities; a time of “hunkering down,” followed by rituals and celebrations recognizing that in those awful times, love was still at work, and eventually won.
Currently we are indeed in a “Hunkered Down Holy Time” of our own. Of Biblical proportions!
Let us recognize the Great Love we all naturally possess and are a part of in the world.
Let us know that although “hunkered down” and suffering, this Great Love is at work!
We are, through our work, expressing as Great Love.
I for one, and so very grateful for your love. I know for a fact that there are many more who are grateful, too.
I thank you for reading, be blessed this day.
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