During the pandemic that turned everything upside down during the Spring of 2020, we were all (mostly) following a catchphrase that was designed to dampen the spread of the virus: “Social Distancing.” The virus is spread through person to person contact, so we were supposed to stay at least 6 feet away from each other. Face masks became required attire when out in public. But the preferred action was to stay at home.
Stay at home… Stay away from others…. no handshakes… no hugs… no smiles. And don’t even come to church. Stay at home! So we did what we could. We created “Live Stream Only” services where the Pastor, Music Leaders, and Tech Team were the only ones in the sanctuary. Instead of a full congregation participating in a Spirit-shared worship, a skeleton crew produced a “TV Show.” But it was the best we could do and it was a blessing. But we still missed the personal contact.
But this is Easter! This is the most important day on the Christian Calendar. Christ is Risen… He is Risen INDEED!!! We need to come together and celebrate this glorious day!
Hallelujah Chorus
On Easter Sunday, we couldn’t be together, and the Easter celebration just isn’t right without your church family. Our Easter services usually end up with the singing of “He Lives!” while members of the congregation join the choir in the loft. Then we sing “Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus.”
But… social distancing… the sanctuary was nearly empty, and there weren’t nearly enough voices to do Handle’s majestic piece justice. So, we played an audio recording of when our choirs joined with the community and a string ensemble to present Handle’s Messiah in all (or most) of it’s glory. The below pictures give us a reminder of that special evening back in 2017:
He Is Lord
Usually, after the Hallelujah Chorus, we respond to the benediction by singing “He is Lord.” He is risen from the dead and He is Lord…
But even on this 2020 Easter of social distancing, Jesus is still Risen and He’s still Lord! And, we could still celebrate!
We couldn’t all be in the same room, but we still made the most of our “Live Stream Only” service. In order to see each other, we put together a slideshow video consisting of “selfies.” Through this video, the sanctuary was full and we got to catch a glimpse of the church family we were so desperately missing.
Coronavirus can’t keep Him down!
The Lord is Risen… He IS Risen Indeed!!!
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