Pastor Jean in Cortez

  It's hard to imagine the scope of the loss our country and community are suffering through due to the coronavirus/COVID-19.  Montezuma County has recorded 18 COVID-related deaths, and in a community of our size these deaths are not abstractions--we know who they are, we know their names, and we grieve for the families.  On the Navajo Nation, there have been at least 9,229 deaths due to COVID as of January 19th.  Too many of these people have died alone and far from home after being transferred to hospitals off the Nation.   The total number of reported COVID-related deaths in the United States is 399,500 (reported by Johns Hopkins COVID tracking as of 11am on January 19).  That number will likely be over 400,000 by this evening.  Approximately 3,000-4,000 people are dying from COVID every single day.  Every single day.   Visualizing the extent of these losses is a difficult thing--it's such an enormous number of human lives.  In preparation for today's prayers and bell-ri

  Tuesday, January 19th at 3:30pm in Church Parking Lot A memorial and lighting of the Reflecting Pool will take place on the National Mall in Washington D.C. on Tuesday. Churches across the country are invited to ring their church bells and spend time in prayer and remembrance of the 400,000 Americans who have lost their lives to COVID-19.  Our gathering will take place at the same time as the remembrance in Washington D.C.  If you're unable to join us in the Parking Lot, please take a few moments at home to pray for all the families who are grieving in our nation. Walter Brueggeman, a well-known Christian theologian and writer, says this about who we are called to be as the Church in this time:      " The prophetic tasks of the church are to tell the truth  in a society that lives in illusion, grieve  in a society that practices denial, and express hope  in a society that lives in despair." All of these spiritual tasks are incredibly important--especially given the unre

  "Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God."  (Matthew 5:9) I have a pit in my stomach this morning, and a heaviness in my heart.   After witnessing the frightening events from our nation's capitol yesterday, I've received several requests for me to comment and reflect on the situation.  Like you, I was shocked and horrified to see the Capitol building broken into, vandalized and disrespected.  Unfortunately, these events grew out of multiple years of increasing division and disrespect in our government leaders and in our local communities.  Taken to its extreme form, it beca me OK for deluded citizens to attempt to take over our legally elected leaders.   So how do we, as Christians, respond?  We are certainly not the first Christian people to be confronted by dysfunctional government or violent events.  I believe it is important for us to take some deep breaths, turn off the TV, and center ourselves in the presence of God.  Yesterday--i

Tonight is the longest night of the year for those of us living in the northern hemisphere of Planet Earth.  Ancient humans watched throughout this long night, then celebrated joyously when the light returned with the sunrise.  They knew the darkness would gradually be vanquished, and growth and life would eventually return.  In short, they knew they would survive. For us, tonight is the longest night of the year in a year that has seemed interminable. It feels like we've been dwelling in darkness for a very long time--spiritual, emotional, physical darkness.  It feels like a physical weight we've been carrying or anxiety we've been clenching tightly.  For far too many of us, the darkness has been in the form of grief.  Too many lives lost.  Too many families broken.  Too many patients lost.  Too many caregivers exhausted.  Tonight is indeed the longest night of the year. We can choose to dwell in the darkness--and it is actually important that we acknowledge the loss, pain

  On Wednesday evening, we gathered outside the Cortez Hospital to light candles and pray for all of our community's healthcare workers.  20+ people attended, representing 3 churches--Methodist, Episcopal and Nazarene.  Jim Mimiaga from the local newspaper attended, took photos and wrote a generous article which can be found here  https://the-journal.com/ articles/194592 Early on in this pandemic--back in March and April--a great deal of attention and appreciation was shown to our healthcare workers.  People shouted from open windows and banged pots and pans each evening to show their support.  Meals were delivered to hospitals and clinics.  Banners thanking healthcare folks were hung from buildings and bridges.  All of this took place while our local Montezuma County, Colorado, numbers were very low.  We simply did not have the number of cases other parts of the country were experiencing. Now we have the numbers!  600+ cases so far in a county of 26,000 residents = 2.3% of our cou

  I have an idea.   After seeing so many healthcare workers speaking out on news programs about the horribly difficult COVID-19 conditions they are working with, I have an idea.  When this pandemic started, these healthcare heroes were being celebrated every night with cheers and noise-making around the country.  Now they are now struggling, for the most part, without any visible signs of support from us, the public.  It's actually worse than that. They are actually being attacked verbally and sometimes physically by people who tell them that the coronavirus is only a hoax and the healthcare folks are lying about all of it.  All while 255,000 Americans have died from this disease and many more are becoming very seriously ill. Nurses across the country report that some of their patients argue and deny the existence of COVID-19 disease--even as they are about to be intubated because they cannot breathe.  Medical workers are being yelled at, harassed and cyberstalked by crazy American