Deciding Church (on a snowy day)

The roads are not too bad.
You could probably make the seven mile drive
in your ancient Isuzu Trooper.
It is a rugged beast of an SUV
and nothing much stops it. Certain not
a few inches of snow.

But the forecast is for more of the white stuff.
Heavy and dense with winds that match the temperature,
just as my church members would be warming
their cars and clearing their windshields.
Just as they would be driving.

Worship is important. It connects our souls
to the God who made us. The God who holds us
in his arms. It connects us to each other.
But so is life, the breathing and living of it,
and many of my parishioners are older,
older than I, and that is saying something.
It is not a light decision.

In the end, it will always be the wrong decision.
The forecast will be wrong. Or I will decide to hold
services and some poor fool, more dedicated than wise
will end up in a ditch.
But it has to be made. It falls on me.
That’s my job, to make decisions based
on the whims of forecasts and incomplete information.

In the end, it is always about timing and love.
When does the snow fall? How much. How long?
How long can I wait to make the decision
before people are going out to their cars?
How much do I care for the lives
of those who worship with me each Sunday?
It is not the first time you have made these decisions.
It happens every winter. It happened during the Pandemic/
It will happen again.

The truth is, it is not a hard call.
My first charge is to protect
those God has given me.
Protect their souls and when possible,
protect their lives.
I cancel church
and turn to poetry and prayer in the time
newly left me. Never quite sure
if I have done the right thing, but sure
I have done the best with what I have,
ready to go on to the next decision,
and there is always a next decision
to make with never enough information
to be sure.

About this poem

I had to cancel services for one of my churches this morning. ( I am a part time pastor, for those of you who do not know.) The roads were not bad, but a heavy snow is predicted for the hour just before services, and my congregation is largely older. It is part of the gig, making that call. And it got me thinking about how often we make decisions on the barest wisp of information. And somehow, mostly, it works.

Be well. Travel wisely,

Tom

PS: The picture is of the backside of the little town in Vermont where I live.