Love, When Everyone’s Gone to the Moon

With great power the Apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
and great favor was accorded them all.
There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them,
bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the Apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need.
Acts 4:32-37

British songwriter Jonathon King had a big pop hit in 1965 with a reflective son, “Everyone’s Gone To The Moon”. If you’re of a certain age, you may remember this as a kind of protest song, but much more melancholy:

Eyes full of sorrow, never wet
Hands full of money, all in debt
Sun coming out in the middle of June
Everyone’s gone to the moon.

As we continue to wait out the Coronavirus in our homes, we wonder about those with whom we spent our “away from home” time, our “work spouses”, and, especially, our Church families. There are, you and I know, so many who are furloughed, or laid off, and there is that possibility their job may never come back. No human knows; we’re doing the right things, but we want answers and solutions. Mainly, we want what we knew before the crisis ramped up.

For we the fortunate whose jobs are considered “essential” so we may work at home, we are truly blessed. And, as we are blessed, we are responsible to share our gifts, our concern for each other, so that those whom we count close know we will not let them be needy.

It’s 2020, so I reach out, at intermittent times, and send messages of hope, concern, and shared faith to as many of my former students, parishioners, long time and “new” friends. I am more frequently in touch with those living alone, to let them know that, while they may be able to obtain their physical needs, I care to make certain they are not “needy behind the closed door”.

I am also keeping in touch with a great couple who are expecting; we agree they’ll have one heck of a story to tell their kids one day. They are responsible for and to each other, and the new life they are nurturing. It is daunting, and in their living circumstances, not ideal. All I can do is write “We’re here, we will help you, whatever you need, whenever.”

However those we know are “needy”, we will not allow a line in the Jonathon King song:

“Streets full of people, all alone” to be the case, not if we can assist as a faith-filled, loving community.

Image: Cityswift, Flickr