The Ethiopian Church Journal Blog

The Last Handshake By Mitiku Adisu Shaking hands may be on its way out, says Dr. Fauci of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases. According to him handshakes could mean the difference between staying healthy and contracting a deadly disease. How the dire warning will affect social relationships--especially within the believing community--will depend, to an extent, on the cultural context, as for example the Easterner feeling the severity much more than the non-Easterner. A host of questions demand our attention. How will the ‘six feet rule’ define seating arrangement, congregational singing, hospitality, and administration of the Sacraments? Will visitors be looked on as hosts to some deadly virus? Will we be seeing fewer visitors as a result? Will Eleven O’clock on Sunday morning worsen the already much absent diversity that is the hallmark of Jesus’ New Community? (Acts 2:5-13; 13; Revelation 5:9; 7:9) Will we be seeing a thinning of congregations

Pointers in the Present Crisis By Mitiku Adisu COVID-19 now has the human race under its grip. We see parallels between the nature of the novel virus and our sinful nature; both intimate separation and stealthily decimate life. We don’t as yet have a full picture of what is going on with our planet. But we are assured that the God we worship would in his infinite wisdom bring us to a better understanding of himself and of our state. (Romans 8:28) We are on familiar and unfamiliar territory all at the same time. Conventions that nurtured our humanness are summarily swept aside. Corporate worship is disrupted. We are in a lock-down against our will. Safety and fear are endured in physical isolation. Information swirls around us without let up—some of it useful, much of it a vexation to the spirit. “Why me, why us Lord?” would be merely compounding the physical isolation . So what might we be learning from the current crisis? (John 9:3)   Firstly, the reality we are face