We are over it, hurricane season and the pandemic - Sermon UUCB 5/31/2020

This is a Sermon I gave online to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brevard on 5/31/20.
(FYI, the extra punctuation is to remind me to breathe - in general good advice).

We are over it, hurricane season and the pandemic

So let's begin by stating the obvious.  We’re over it,

you’re over it, i’m over it, we’re all over it.  We are

narrowing in on month 3 of quarantine and we’re

over it.  All this time, of heightened awareness,

of social distancing, and no end in sight.  We latch

on to any source of good news, any glimmer of hope. 

The slightest statistic that moves towards a

downward trend and we pounce.  

We as humans are social creatures.  Even the most 
introverted among us, eventually, want to experience 
that human connection.  Some of the, particularly, 
extroverted were jumping out the door, the second lock 
down was lifted.  Only to realize that, although we are 
not “locked down” we are still distanced.  It’s not the

same, it may never be the same, but here we are.  

And where we are now is June, the beginning of 
hurricane season.  So when the first heavy rains 
and winds starting forming off the coast, my first

reaction was, I’m over it.  We don’t have time for this,

we don’t have time for tax free supplies and

preparedness plans, but time or not, it is here. 

The world keeps turning, the seas keep warming,

and the hurricane seasons, keep being billed as

“the most active yet”.  So ready or not, we have

hurricane season, and a pandemic, and sanity 
to keep.  But how?

As you’ve heard a million times, these are

unprecedented times.  Most of us have not

experienced a global pandemic,at this level,

in our lifetimes.  More than ever we are a 
connected world, both literally and virtually. 

Information can travel instantaneously,  we know

all the hotspots, all the statistics.  We are constantly

bombarded with information to the point of overload.  

We have pandemic fatigue at this point, and it is

easy to say forget it and just try to resume life as

normal.  As we said “we’re over it”.  But the virus

doesn’t care that we are over it, and neither do

the warming seas.  Nature does what it does,

whether we are, “over it” or not.  

So like many generations before us, we have to live

in the world we are given.  

In the words of JRR Tolkien, Frodo says 
in “The Lord of the Rings”.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," 

"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see 

such times. But that is not for them to decide. 

All we have to decide is what to do with the time, 

that is given us.”

Generations have stepped up for the call of war,

of duty, of humanitarian aid.  JRR Tolkien himself

witnessed the horrors of war, in the trenches of

World War 1.  His life works in Middle Earth, are a

reflection of that world, where a brave Hobbit and

his fellowship, overcome the great evils of the world,

but not without carrying the scars of their journey.  

Tolkien shows us how the Great War changed a

generation, and in his words "By 1918, all but one

of my close friends were dead,”  But at its heart,

Tolkien's work, is a hopeful story.  Even when our

burdens are overwhelming, we still carry hope,

and a belief, in a brighter future.

We may not see directly the scars of this pandemic,

but they are there.  The number of victims has

grown on par, with Tolkien’s great war.  Our frontline

workers answer the call everyday, caring for the sick,

and comforting those who can not be with their families. 

We venture out to our jobs and stores with our masks,

protecting ourselves as best we can.  Although this time

it looks different, the call is the same.  

So we answer the call with our physical distancing, 
our remote social time, and our charitable giving to

those most impacted.  We support frontline workers by 
sewing masks, and staying home.  We sing remotely, 
we howl out of windows together and we parade past 
birthdays and graduates to show our community

support.  We are living our best lives from our

couches, but we are quickly getting “over it”.  

And now it’s June 1st, Hurricane Season.  The

point where we are supposed to start thinking,

of how to prepare, for a crisis.  But we are already

in a crisis;  and the systemic, and unjust problems

of the world did not stop, when the virus started. 

If anything, the disparity has been laid bare. 

More than ever, we are hurting, as a people, as a

society. The world is exploding with anger, and

frustration for a system, that does not serve

its people equally.  Covid -19 is not the only thing

that takes lives unjustly.  

It feels like too much, like one more thing, we

don’t need right now.  And you’re right, it’s too much. 

The problems of the world are overwhelming.  From

the causes that seem too big, to make a difference,

to our own internal struggles both tangible and

emotional, 2020 feels like too much.  

And that, is where, community comes in.  We need

to care for one another, we need to reach out to

others for help, and offer that help when needed. 

There are days when I will not feel strong enough,

and need those words of encouragement to get

through.  There will be days when you are feeling

down, and you just need to talk.  We need each other.

Sure, we have very real tangible needs too.  We worry 
about keeping a roof over our heads, and feeding

our family. We think about those, who are already

not coping well, in this crisis, and how we can help. 

It can be overwhelming.  But it shouldn’t be done alone. 

We are physically distant, but we are not alone.  

There is support, there is love, there is community.  
And each of us, need to reach out to each other,

when we are in need.  Look after your friends and

neighbors.  Calm each other’s fears, and support

each other’s milestones.  Together we are stronger,

and together we can, “get, through it’.