The Great Interruption

“The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one’s ‘own,’ or ‘real’ life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life – the life God is sending one day by day” - C.S. Lewis (from a 1943 letter from C.S. Lewis, included in Yours, Jack: Spiritual Direction from C.S. Lewis)

What a time to be alive! I am writing this in the thick of one of the greatest phenomenons in modern history: the COVID-19 pandemic. Yes, we have had many pandemics in world history. However, we are more globalized and digitized than we have ever been before. Meaning, something about this feels a bit different.

With the help of modern science, media, and social media, we now know where a virus originated, how it arrived in our backyard, and how many cases are in our city. At our fingertips, we can literally research and analyze all the data that’s out there, see what everyone else is doing, and evaluate whether or not we think that our leaders are guiding us in the right direction.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to what I am calling the “Great Interruption,” the time when the busiest, most individualistic consumer culture is told that they have to stop their normal way of living and “social distance.” We are seeing schools shut down, churches worship online, restaurants providing curb-side service only, and local governments urging residents to stay-at-home as much as possible. This is all for good reason - it’s literally saving lives.

But, how? How am I, as a millenial, supposed to put my life on hold, when I’ve only lived in a benevolent, free country? I keep coming to my senses and reminding myself that all this is real. It has shaken my worldview in just a few weeks.

Right before we had to cancel our worship gatherings to honor the CDC’s recommendations to limit gatherings to 50 or less people, I preached on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane as a part of our Lenten series, “Journey to the Cross.” In that sermon, I shared with my congregation, St. Paul UMC, that I was finally settling into my job, feeling a part of the church community, and falling in love with Ocean Springs. I have lived here for eight months, and it already felt like home.

Then, the very next week, it seemed like my whole world fell apart. Now, I would not be able to come into face-to-face contact with the many people I have fallen in love with. 

In the face of this, I had a choice: cower in a corner and try to distract my way through this time of social distancing, or I could use this time as an opportunity to grow in my relationship with God.

Even though it is always a temptation to find ways to distract myself through this time (whether it’s work, reading articles, or flipping through social media), it is my prayer and intention that I use this time to grow closer to God.

One of the ways that I believe we can grow closer to God in this time is by practicing Sabbath. Yes, Sabbath, meaning “to rest” or “to stop.” You may be thinking, “You’re telling me to stop, when it feels like all I am doing is a whole lot of nothing?” For lack of a better term, YES!

To keep it short, here is a basic synopsis about Sabbath. God practiced it, and commanded that we practice it too. It’s set aside, intentional time (a whole day) that we dedicate to worshipping God and resting. Ultimately, what Jesus said rings truest, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27 NLT).

This means that Sabbath is not something we engage in to be a “good” Christian. Rather, Sabbath is something we do to nourish our souls, strengthen our bodies, and worship the Almighty God.

When we return to our typical routine (oh, how I long for that again), Sabbath is meant to be an interruption. It is meant to feel inconvenient because there is always something we could be doing to catch up or get ahead. But, stopping in the face of a rapidly moving world is exactly what God meant for us to do. As C.S. Lewis said, “interruptions are precisely one’s real life.”

And, now, we are in the crux of one of the greatest interruptions in modern history: the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, do we really have to receive every update, binge our favorite Netflix series, or be the next Tik Tok sensation? Or, can we use this time to develop a rhythm of practicing Sabbath to get back to God’s created order for human beings?

Take a moment right now and think about it: Have you really taken time to stop since the pandemic started? No, not just stopping your work or school tasks. But, have you stopped worrying too? There is something powerful about “stopping” in the culture we live in, releasing control, and trusting that God is in control.

So, let’s do it… let’s practice more stopping in a world that seems to have come to a complete stop. And let’s reorient and restructure our lives toward our heavenly Father. Then, when we come out of hiding, we’ll be better equipped to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ in our world.