Thread by @RevJacquiLewis

The President is reeling from how far the reality of COVID-19 is from the lies he's told.

But to risk people's lives for money—when what we need is truth, tests, and time—is grotesque. And to invoke Easter to do so is theologically abhorrent. /1

Church buildings should not be open for Easter. People of faith should not gather in church, synagogue, mosque, shul, gurdwara, temple or masjid. We don't need to go to practice our faith.

God—or however we name the ineffable goodness and love—is where the people are. /2

A divine spark in the woman quarantined by herself, drinking tea; in the two or three gathered in a household, praying prayers with their children; in the hospital where a nurse tends to someone with fever; in the workers who must go out, so we have electricity and food. /3

God is in the 0's and 1's that make Zoom calls happen among a group of clergy women drinking wine, praying, laughing weeping.

But God is *not* in misguided edicts that threaten the lives of the most vulnerable among us. /4

The President is behaving as if we are not in a global pandemic that is having a catastrophic effects on this nation and our global community—and one which the medical community advises will only worsen in the coming weeks. /5

In this time, trafficking in illusions to stir up false hopes (and, he imagines, votes) isn't just bad leadership, it's lethal.

To celebrate Easter by packing people together is worship the cross, not the empty tomb. /6

Most leaders of faith communities understand the magnitude of this moment. And we know this: in-person worship is not worth risking lives.

We should not be in sanctuaries on Easter, we should be sheltering in place, taking care of the people in our households. /7

We should be connecting with our communities in digital spaces, singing songs that lift our spirits. We should pray for this sick; ask forgiveness for the ways that we have been self-centered, hoarded resources and abused the planet. /8

As Christians, we should shout "Hallelujah" in the way that Jesus defied death and empire; and work for the ways we can help all humans have abundant life.

And, every day we can, we should dance with our children, hug our partners, and celebrate our precious lives. /9

The *President* should federalize production of masks and respirators that enable people to live. And if he can't encourage citizens to stay home and stay safe—if he can't resist fantasy and fallacy—then here is my prayer: Drop the mic.

Leave religious work to the qualified. /10