Luther wrote the letter “Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague” as disease passed through his hometown of Wittenberg. As coronavirus threatens our neighbors and loved ones, we invite you to reflect on how we can best protect each other.

                                From: spirit: The newsletter of the Florida-Bahamas Synod

Some of you may know about the Myers-Briggs Personality Index. It’s a tool for “sussing out” a person’s preferred way of interacting with others amd responding to situations. In seminary, it’s a required part of jumping through hoops- and rightly so.

One of the parameters on the index is introvert/extrovert. Contrary to popular belief, the terms don’t refer to “shy/friendly”. Introverts are reenergized by alone-time; extroverts by being with people. I am an extrovert “off the scales.” What that means in terms of the current situation of physical distancing and self-isolating is simply that I don’t “do as well” when I’m not around people. I’m lucky in that I have daily contact in “techy” form with many people as we go about “being church” when we can’t gather for worship or meetings, etc.

In Luther’s day, there were no phones, no social media, no emails. We have the means to make sure that we stay in touch with each other even though we can’t physically occupy the same spaces.

Reach out to one another.
Let us pray.

Blessed Lord, in moments of pain we turn to you for strength; in times of loneliness we feel your loving nearness. Grant that your life and love and joy may flow through us for the healing of others in Jesus name. Amen

                                                                             ELW, Pastoral Care