I played basketball in High school. The games were always fun. The practices were not so much fun. One of the exercises we would do was run the length of the court… backward! It may sound like a silly exercise, and at times we questioned our coach’s reasoning?! However, the training paid off when we got into the games. When you are guarding someone, you always try to face them. If they are running down the court with the ball, you need to run backward to face them. My coach was not as crazy as we once thought…he was brilliant!
As we face another round of COVID-19, I feel like we are running backward. The movement is there, just going in the wrong direction. We need to face this pandemic, yet, running backward not to contract it. And that means we need to run backward for a while!
The church has moved back to mask-required in worship. Christian Ed is suspended this week. And some of our events like Supper Club have decided to postpone until next month. We are cautious in facing the pandemic and guard against contracting it.
Maybe my basketball coach taught a life lesson or two that has taken 40+ years to realize. The practice of running backward seems pretty relevant to me today. So, I ask you to keep facing the pandemic with me as we run backward together. Stay safe, wear your masks, sanitize your hands, and keep facing COVID-19. I pray that this to will pass quickly.
Fr. Michael+
This article orginally appeared in the James Journal, the weekly newsletter of St. James Episcopal Church, Dallas, Texas. To add yourself to the newsletter click here.