As we crawl out of Lockdown Is Worship Essential?

Rantwoman asked her search engine for guidance in the realm of Amazing Grace meets heavy metal This is RantWoman's favorite top screen result.


Is worship essential? Does God exist through Zoom? Do cranberry juice and poppyseed muffins constitute adequate versions of the Host for communion? Should one even try to put a whole pip organ or compline choir through the audio capacity of the average Smartphone?

As the state begins to try to emerge from #CoronaVirus lockdown, what does this all mean for various faith communities?

Aside from having deep appreciation for regular worship, RantWoman comes from a considerable line of people whose professions basically involved "Dog and Pony Show for God," with or without large print Bible, musical accompaniment, prayer or contemplative practices and other theological trappings.

RantWoman considers it a great act of Divine mercy that RantMom, Little Sister, and RantWoman have all found different faith communities. Trust RantWoman on this: the faith communities should be grateful as well. And yes, RantWoman and parts of her faith community are assuredly still reminding each other why we need a faith community. Good thing RantWoman believes in a versatile God able to get things done lots of ways. More importantly for the #StayHomeStayHealthy period, all three RantWoman have found electronic paths to congenial spiritual practices. Now that everyone is living through the online experiments, fairly reliably, are we REALLY ready to upset the new order and try to go back...? Are we going to need topically themed merch such as masks and face shields?

RantWoman is not even going to look up the exact phasing of gatherings up to 50 people or over than 50 people. Nor is RantWoman going to opine about many congregations run heavily to the over 60 at higher risk crowd. Also, no one wants a reprise of the church choir in Skagit county who produced mass infection from one choir practice.

It is probably just as well that the timelines are a ways off, though faith communities eager to return to gathering might find it a blessing to be able to start to think about #SocialDistancing, wearing masks, elbow bumps (never mind whether elbow bumps are likely to trigger all of this blind person's "Grab the Blind Person and Bless Them" nerves.) or whether people whose essential travel requires the bus will be expected to stop at the grocery store or the pharmacy on the way to or from. And we won't even touch plastic face shields instead of cloth masks for people who need to have others lip read / read facial expressions.

RantWoman will refrain from sarcasm about how, for some congregations, having more than 50 people in attendance would be a very good problem indeed. On the other hand, other congregations might gloriously fill twice their usual space if it were available. On the third hand, in case for instance Vishnu is available, what will people miss if people who join from far away are suddenly cut off from the electronic connection and will anyone be adventurous enough to try hybrid partly in person?

For the time being, though, RantWoman is having an eco-theological crisis about the suggestion that "drive-in worship" will be a thing. RantWoman does not want to get in the way of communities content to drive to a parking lot, tune their car radios, and worship in the car while waving to other congregants. Well, okay, one conversation did digress from Episcopal high church to wait staff on roller skates and even roller derby between the hymns, but it sounds like worship in cars will NOT be a thing at least at St Mark's Cathedral.

Now, what about faith communities whose members run heavily to bicycle enthusiasts, maniacal pedestrians, and people who regularly find God aboard the bus? More than 20% of people in WA do not drive. RantWoman considers it discrimination on the basis of disability to think only in terms of people with access to cars and driving. Please bear with RantWoman's slightly irreligious rant about #CarOwnerVirus: God does NOT have to drive a car. It is better stewardship of the planet if fewer people drive even if the conversation is about Priuses.

Word!

And another iteration of Amazing Grace, just because.
Guns and Roses does Amazing Grace
Way too much foul language in the intro for Sunday morning but RantWoman is feeling decidedly unwashed on Saturday night.