Rip Van Winkel and us

 

Rip Van Winkel was holed up in a cave, I think, for about twenty years. Sleeping, concussed, or in a coma. When he emerged, everything had changed.

Seven months now, since we faced up to confinement in order to avoid contamination. Seven months of building our lives round our homes and housemates. Seven months of staring at computer screens, on skype, on zoom, on Microsoft teams. Seven months since we hung out with acquaintances, since we hugged friends, since we kissed our adult children.

Over a year since I’ve hugged my mom.

One day, I hope, we will look back and think, it wasn’t that bad. One day, I hope, we will recognise that we used the time to deepen our relationship with the Lord, who is with us in our confinement, in our isolation, in our sadness.

This is the day that the Lord has made. He didn’t put us in the pandemic, but he saw it coming. When we were raising our family, when the joy became manic and the laughter loud, we often looked at each other with a nod: this will all end in tears. The Lord must look at our actions, our negligence, and our selfishness and know that it will all end in tears.

In this world, you will have trouble, Jesus told his friends. But take heart, for I have overcome the world.

It is a beautiful day here today. Clear and cold. Tonight we will light a bonfire and a few fireworks in the field. We will participate in that weird British celebration of a foiled terrorist attack, though we will refrain from throwing a ‘Guy’ on the bonfire.

I am going to think of that bonfire as a beacon of hope, a light of love and encouragement from our Maker. I am going to think of our fireworks as a response to his grace and mercy towards us. I am going to focus on him and rely on his love to lift me.

When we finally emerge from the pandemic, and from the political uncertainty on both sides of the Atlantic, the world, and our attitudes, will have shifted. I pray that we will emerge wiser, with more compassion and love for our world and our sisters and brothers. May we come out of the cave better people than we were when we went in.