Events and gatherings are happening again. Things are opening up. State restrictions are being eased. Let’s not forget why these things are happening: because our nation’s mass vaccination rollout has been fast enough to keep the new coronavirus strains relatively under control. We should be grateful for how others have helped us and keep doing our part to keep our neighbors safe: Get vaccinated if you haven’t already, and wear a mask and social distance any time you’re in a group setting with unvaccinated people. We’re doing much better than most of the planet. Globally, COVID-19 cases have spiked back to their January peak. In neighboring Ontario, Canada, where vaccine orders have been slow to arrive, people are back under a strict stay-home order. They’re arguing over whether playgrounds should be closed, or whether police should be stopping anyone who is out and sending them home unless they are out on essential business.
eizzo@adirondackdailyenterprise.com
Adirondack Community Church Pastor Derek Hansen stands behind the pulpit on Wednesday, Dec. 23. (News photo Elizabeth Izzo)
LAKE PLACID – Pastor Derek Hansen stood behind the pulpit at Adirondack Community Church on Wednesday, his face illuminated by light streamed in through stained glass windows. From this place, Hansen will deliver a Christmas Eve sermon to congregants both in person and online. For Christians, this is a time of year when the story of Jesus Christ’s birth is retold. Local faith leaders say there are lessons to be learned, and comfort to be clinched, from this traditional story.