We had a lovely open air service during August and I learned that I needed to acquire yet another new skill thanks to the Covid experience, that of identifying members of the congregation, while wearing face masks. The task was particularly difficult that particular day with some of our lady’s who were wearing big hats, sunglasses AND a face mask, is it any wonder bank robbers adopt masks to protect their identity! I found my myself struggling to identify some of the people I was with, despite knowing them well.
Three weeks into preaching in Church, I have discovered a further problem with the face mask. I have come home from each service feeling utterly inadequate and believing that after six months of preaching, I have lost my touch and my preaching has hit an all time low. This has not been the positive experience I had hoped for when we returned to Church, then it suddenly hit me. I rely on feedback from the congregation, a smile, a frown a facial expression that lets me know that people are with me, or if they are drifting and I can no longer see that. I know that people smile with their eyes as well as their mouths, but that is more difficult to detect from a distance.
My guess is that most folk sitting in Churches Sunday by Sunday are blissfully unaware of the vital role they play, I always remember one man many years ago, who would sit forward during my service, and rest his elbows on the pew in front, he might just have been seeking a more comfortable position because I had gone on too long, but it made me shift up a gear and I was always grateful to him. My hope is that as I get used to looking at a sea of masked faces all sitting, nicely socially distanced, that I will learn new ways of being fed by the congregation, or maybe I hope that I don’t need to. Let us all work hard to make things better!