Unpewed

The call to avoid community worship and stay home, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, was getting louder from all directions. Fear of infection has gripped the nation—and the world. I was of two minds myself: to go or not to go to church.

My heart told me to go. And what I saw made me use a word I never used before: unpewed.

In all my years as a Christian, I had sat on a pew during a Sunday worship service. It’s as though a sanctuary is incomplete without them. There had been debates in my home church whether we should discard the ancient, rotting pews for new plastic monobloc chairs. The pews stayed.

Then suddenly, because of the government’s decree on social distancing to halt the spread of Covid-19—sans any discussion or a lengthy debate—the pews disappeared.

My son JR and I attended the first service where our pastor’s sermon was live-streamed, as did many pastors’ around the globe, for those who opted to stay home.

Offertory box instead of bags (left); hand sanitizer

The next day, I read two urgent messages on my FB news feed.   

Message 1 (from Tony’s cardiologist): “Stay home; you could save lives.” 

Message 2 (from my nephew, a surgeon): I had messaged him earlier about praying in church for all medical frontliners. He replied, “Tita, please, please pray at home. God will understand.”

Was it perhaps guilt, fueled by the enemy, that impelled me to go to church and meet with fellow believers? Was it a wrong decision?

I don’t know.

What I know is, God’s constant grace erases all fears and gives me, us, the wisdom to act for the greater good in these extraordinary times.