Greetings, Visitors and New Beginnings Family! If you like, pour yourself a cup of your favorite coffee. (Mine is Kauai Coffee “Garden Isle” medium roast.) Then make yourself comfortable, and join me for the latest edition of “Coffee with Gary”!

The last time I had breakfast with my family in Sheboygan Falls was on March 14. Even then the first thing out of my brother-in-law’s mouth was that he didn’t want to shake my hand. Instead when it was time to leave, we departed the restaurant with a simple elbow tap. At that time, I treated elbow tapping like a joke as I flippantly tapped everyone’s elbow on the way out the door. Little did I know then that this was only the beginning of something much worse. Sadly, the mom and pop restaurant we enjoyed so much is closed and it is unsure if they will ever re-open. All of this because of mandatory social distancing.

Now I wonder if I will ever experience a firm handshake with a hug and a pat on the back again. It’s kind of hard to do that if you have to stand six feet from one another. If you ever doubted that we were created for fellowship and social interaction, there is no doubting it now.

The Bible in the book of Genesis describes the first ever instance of social distancing. Adam and Eve had just sinned against God and were expelled from the Garden of Eden and out of the presence of God. The effect of that first social distancing on us was devastating. It was a spiritual death sentence. God because of our sin had socially distanced Himself from us. Now God was not afraid that we might infect him but that if we were ever to behold Him in all His glory and holiness we’d be consumed. God had distanced Himself from us for our own protection.

Lepers living in Jesus’s day had to live outside the camp until they were either healed or had died. The social distancing described in Leviticus 13:45-47 was in place to protect those who weren’t infected from those who were. For most lepers, leprosy meant permanent social distancing from their family and friends.

In Matthew 8:1-3 a leper had approached Jesus and asked to be made clean. It is interesting to me that this leper had not asked to be healed but to be cleansed. Jesus breaking social distancing stretched out his hand and touched the man. Now I can just imagine the crowd being appalled at witnessing this. However, what I find fascinating is that the leper could not infect Jesus but instead Jesus had infected the leper with his cleansing power!

Jesus is God’s remedy to spiritual social distancing. By Jesus’s suffering and death on the cross he has cleansed us of all our sins. Just as the leper in Matthew was allowed to return home to his family and friends, so we are free to enter into the very presence of God by faith.

All you need is to confess that you are a sinner and place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. This will result in having your sins forgiven and end your social distancing from God. If you have never done this or if you have additional questions, please call us at 608-288-0797.

Finally, there is no one that likes or wants to be socially distanced, not even God! Unfortunately, social distancing IS necessary to help curb the spread of COVID-19. If you are lonely and discouraged by social distancing try to remember that we need not be socially distanced from God. That was taken care of nearly 2000 years ago on the cross!

Your fellow pilgrim in looking for a country of our own. (Hebrews 11:13-16)

Gary