When Lockdown began for us in Wales (for me a week earlier) in March 18. First non essential shops like mine were closed, then it was decided that all places of worship would be closed completely, you could not even enter for private prayer. Only a single minister could go in and conduct online services (which many did like my parish church at St Illtud's in Llaniltud Fawr aka Llantwit Major) many, if most did not.
This was the first time that churches were totally closed and Sacraments not administered since the beginning of the 13th Century, when Pope Innocent lll put England under a interdict when all the churches were closed because King John was a naughty boy! Though priests were allowed to baptise and administer the last rites. Now we have heard from the First Minister, Mark Drakeford that places of worship will be allowed to reopen, and after shops have already been open.
A New Way of Being Church
Since the closing of Church buildings and the Sacraments not being celebrated publicly was seen as a new way of being church. The common response that we do not need to worship in a building to meet and be with God. True of course, however the buildings are described as "sacramentals" a sign of God's presence amongst creation, was a blanket closing of them totally necessary? The use of Online worship using Mark Zuckerberg Facebook and WhatsApp was quite widespread. My local church used Facebook Live and Zoom for collective worship, and my home church using WhatsApp and Zoom, but not too much on Facebook. This was very good, i participated with my wife in the worship not only at St Illtud's in Llantwit Major but Grace Episcopal church in Hutchinson, Kansas (where my wife worshipped a couple of years ago.. Needless to say that worship has been revolutionised no doubt, but people who have not stepped inside a church in years now engage with God online from the comfort of their own rooms, and great??
What About The Forgotten.
Yes, I the forgotten, and who are they? Simple, I they are the folk, that don't do Facebook, WhatsApp or any other type of social media. Let me tell you a story. Rita (not her real name) is an older woman, a faithful member of her local church, always there, except the rare occasions when she is not well, which is rare. When the churches closed down, she heard nothing from her church (clergy etc) for months, she had calls from fellow church members. The first communication she had received from the church itself was a letter from the minister and a letter from the the Church treasurer for money. The church in Wales was a almost in a state of hibernation in the Real world, and functioned almost entirely in a virtual social media one. Through many people participated in the Online Church, many lost contact, and almost completely. The church in the UK has opened up cautiously, churches are open for private prayer, but under controlled circumstances. In Wales our lockdown rules were strictler than say Kansas. In Wales only a cleric could enter the church, and conduct a service that could be streamed, in Kansas (the place that I participated) Churches were closed but services with a number of individuals were allowed as long as they practiced social distancing. Why that could not have been the case in Wales with the churches working with the Welsh Government i have no idea.
The Body of Christ
The Church is not just a collection of individuals, but a body, the Body, and the which requires working together, ordinary customers helping each other, and loving each other, giving a home to the homeless, feeding the hungry, helping the sick and Lonely. This time has a terrible time for the lonely and isolated, and sick. No Sacraments not even baptism, but do we not care?
