The post before this one, “Church in Person,” was a post I wrote last week. I postdated it to come out today, and haven’t thought about it since. One of my readers – C.O. – reminded me that it went live today, and I thank her for reaching out. The last thing I want to do is recommend foolish actions. A lot of information has come out recently about the variant, and as we know from the past year and a half, so much can change in just a matter of days – from one Sunday to the next.
We as a community are back to masking indoors (it’s highly recommended in our county again), and I do NOT endorse being unmasked for public indoor gatherings at this point. I would also NOT gather indoors with friends or family members who are unvaccinated without masking and distancing. I, personally, wear my mask compliantly because I trust those who are mandating it. It has been shown to be safer, and I’m all for the health of everyone. I’m not saying I like to wear a mask. I can’t stand it. But I’d rather wear a mask than take part in spreading a dangerous virus around.
If I even attend church tomorrow in the flesh, I will be wearing my N95 mask. A few days ago, my family discussed the changes happening around the country and the world, and we may be staying home and watching church online again. We probably won’t fully decide what to do until morning. We all know that there are people at every point on the vaccine and masking spectrum, and you can guarantee that some people will not follow the most recent recommendation to mask again. There is a strong spirit out there of rebellion; of not wanting to be “told” what to do. I am not of that opinion. (By the way, I wish I had tried an N95 a year ago – it’s way better than my stifling cloth mask.)
I left the post up, though, because it encapsulates the joy we felt in being free again. We can’t remain there, though. Not yet.
This is why I rarely postdate what I write. Life changes so quickly right now.
