Church in the Time of COVID-19

We've been attending church via Zoom for the last several months, but now that Massachusetts has eased its restrictions on religious gatherings, the Church is cautiously allowing our congregation to start meeting again.  Sacrament meetings are limited to 25 people or less (with the rest of our ward watching via Zoom), everyone has to wear masks, and we're only allowed to sit in certain pews to maintain social distancing.  

More than 25 ward members wanted to attend in person this Sunday, so our ward held two meetings.  Phillip and I signed up to attend the second one, and when we asked our kids if they wanted to come too, Anna asked to join us (the others felt they already had done their Sabbath duty when we all watched the morning session together).  

In some ways, I felt sad attending a sacrament meeting where there was no singing (just instrumental music), no hugging, and no lingering to talk after the meeting.  It was also kind of rough to look around and see just a small part of our ward there with us.  It felt like being at a family reunion where only a tiny fraction of our family could make it.

As the meeting went on, though, I felt very grateful that we had come.  I was struck by the great care that went into preparing the sacrament safely.  So many aspects of our worship have been set aside for now because they're not safe or it's just too hard to make them so, but taking the sacrament is so important that we'll bend over backwards to make it happen safely during a pandemic.  It's not because the bread and water themselves are anything special.  It's because Christ established that ordinance to remind us of His sacrifice and our covenant to follow His example.  That really drove home to me how important it is to remember and emulate the Savior.  

I was also inspired by other members' testimonies, and grateful that I could be there to hear them in person.  Back at home, when I asked Anna how she felt about the experience, she said she couldn't explain why, but she was really glad that she came to church with us.