I'll tell you one thing, we're better together

But there is, there is not enough time,
And there is no, no song I could sing
And there is no combination of words I could say
But I will still tell you one thing
We're better together

I really thought it was going to be Banana Pancakes. Close, but according to Spotify users, the Jack Johnson song we want to listen to the most is Better Together. And who can argue?  Like Jack sings- it is always better when we are together. 

That’s why it’s getting tough right now. The last seven weeks or so saw us all, coast to coast and around the world, in this pandemic together. I know that each area had its own unique challenges (Nova Scotia, New York City, Chattanooga had a tougher road), and staying at home at the beach in North Carolina is not the same as staying at home in Blantyre, Malawi. Yet all were struggling with the unknown, the uncertain, and it seemed we were all holding the line. 

Today is different. You can get a haircut in Georgia, USA, and New Zealand has a seemingly legitimate claim to have effectively eliminated the contagion. Meanwhile, there will be no public gatherings this summer in Ontario, colleges are moving online for summer and you may enjoy a walk on the beach here in NC but don’t throw down a towel to take a rest. Some businesses have received SBA loans, others have not. Stimulus checks have been released, but many claim they have been elusive. Masks or no masks?  It’s endless.

These words are not to cast any aspersion on decisions made or to debate what the right move is or is not. Governing bodies, we pray, will make the best decisions they can with the information they have. I want to acknowledge, however, that it looks different now depending on where you are. We are clearly not in this together and that creates all kinds of tension and uncertainty.

But is it really true? The separation I mean.  Are we shattered now, back into our individual, private and provincial concerns?  It doesn’t have to be true. We can be united though our approaches are different.  Haven’t we in the church been trying to navigate this since our beginning at Pentecost?  All of us--with different voices, different needs, different bodies--trying to remember and recognize that we are all one, God’s children, better together. The word diabolical finds its definition in words that mean disjointed, split, divided. That makes sense to me. To think ourselves, or to act as if, we are divided from ourselves, our neighbours, our God is indeed diabolical. Thankfully, it is also as unnecessary as it is untrue. We cannot be divided, we can just act like we are--that’s the rub. 

I am praying we have patience and grace with each other. Let’s sing and stay Better Together. 
And because it’s my fave, I’m going to ask Jack to sing us out…

We got everything we need right here
And everything we need is enough
Just so easy when the whole world fits inside of your arms

Listen to the full song here