Episode 403: Sarah S. Scherschligt - God Holds You: A Pandemic Chronicle

Our guest this week is my friend Sarah S. Scherschligt, pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Alexandria, Virginia. She comes on the pod to talk about climate change, despair and hope, and her new book chronicling her work to pastor during the pandemic. In March 2020, when COVID-19 changed our world, Washington D.C.-based pastor and writer Sarah Scherschligt posted a brief, thoughtful reflection on social media to comfort her reeling community. The next night, she did it again.For thirteen months, during the exceptional stretch of days from March 2020 to April 2021, Scherschligt published her reflections daily, offering deep spiritual insights as a progressive Lutheran pastor and mother. For the members of her community and congregation who read them in real time, Scherschligt’s reflections were an anchor and balm—a nightly benediction, offering comfort, wisdom, and hope.Her reflections are now compiled into a book, God Holds You: A Pandemic Chronicle. Part memoir, part social commentary, part Biblical interpretation, God Holds You addresses not only faith during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the social upheaval of the time, including the struggle for racial justice, the January 6th insurrection, and the deepening environmental crisis. With wit and wisdom, Scherschligt also recounts familiar aspects of daily life during that lock-down year, such as virtual kindergarten, countless Zoom meetings, and vigorous handwashing.God Holds You: A Pandemic Chronicle adds depth and meaning to our collective remembering, encouraging readers to examine their own experience of the pandemic and to consider questions like: “Where did I find grace? How did my faith change? And how does the pandemic still affect me?” Pastors and preachers will appreciate Scherschligt’s creative application of Scripture. Church groups will use her insights as the basis for adult education sessions on how the pandemic affected communities of faith. And although she writes from a progressive Christian perspective, readers of all backgrounds and faiths will benefit from revisiting this remarkable time with Sarah Scherschligt as a guide.