Religious communities turn to online e-sermons

Religious communities are feeling the pinch of the restrictions imposed by government to prevent the spread of Covid-19 as celebrations of important days on the calendars of various religions have been disrupted.

Jews are unable to gather for the Pesach (Passover), Christians will not mark Easter and their revered Palm Sunday already went without celebrations while Muslims have not been able to go to mosques.

Some have switched to technology to reach their members at their homes.

After missing Palm Sunday, which is the celebration of Jesus Christ entering Jerusalem on a donkey walking on palm branches laid on the road, Christians are preparing to use technology for Easter. Easter marks the crucifixion of Christ on Friday and his resurrection (from the grave to Heaven) on the third day, on Sunday.

Hope Restoration Ministries, based at Chloorkop near Kempton Park, has begun to celebrate Easter by doing live streams to its members via YouTube, Facebook and the church website from Wednesday until Sunday as part of its Online Easter.  The church head, Rev Siphiwe Mathebula and his wife Pastor Phindi Mathebula, host the HRH sessions assisted by fellow pastors from from HRM campuses in Roodepoort, Tembisa, Ebony Park, Midrand and Springs.

The church has organised an Online Easter session from 8 to 12 April to mark Easter. They will broadcast at 9am and 6pm on social media and the church website.

“Obviously we are not allowed to gather as a group, therefore we are using the technology of the day to reach our people who are unable to move so that they can access our sermons. I go to the studio, which is either my dining room or one of our office to do live streaming on social media platforms and on our website to share with our people, Mathebula said.

Mathebula asks people to pray as well.

“I do devotion during the week and send text messages daily to congregants via WhatsApp or email. We are trying to use a system that is not costly.”

Various other churches like the Methodist Church have been preaching via social media including Skype. Methodist sermons appear daily on Soweto TV during the lockdown.

Explaining the Pesach or Passover, the SA Zionist Federation’s Rowan Polovin says it marks a period in the book of Exodus where Jews are required to imagine transitioning as Jews from slavery into freedom.

“We eat unleavened bread during the Passover, known as Matzah, as a symbol for and reminder of redemption and freedom. As Jews in the Diaspora, we say ‘Next Year in Jerusalem’, to remind ourselves of the importance of Jerusalem and the State of Israel as a beacon that safeguards and guarantees our freedom as the Jewish people.”

Pesach begins at the synagogue with an evening prayer service. It is then celebrated at home over what is known as a “seder” (meaning “order” in Hebrew), where Jewish families gather over a meal and together recount the story of Exodus through prayer, discussion, symbolism and food.

“This year will be different, given that our synagogues are closed, and our families will be separated and many will be spending Pesach apart. However, if anything, Pesach this year will give a renewed appreciation for our freedom, existence and welfare. This separation will make us want to connect more with ourselves, our family, our community, our country and our beloved State of Israel. It will be a different Pesach this year, but one we will remember long after this crisis is over,” he said.

Wendy Kahn, national director of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies said there was no doubt that Pesach under lockdown would be a very different reality, especially since it is such a family-oriented festival.

“The separation of families is a painful situation, particularly with grandparents no longer being able to participate in the festive meals. The communal leadership have focused on providing psychological support for community members that are experiencing loss at this time,” Kahn said.

However, she said synagogues had prepared creative educational materials to provide those alone at this time to celebrate the festival in their own homes.

Muslims have also sacrificed their important compulsory special Friday congregational prayer at mosques, involving a sermon and prayer by the Imam (priest) and two rituals. Muslims pray five times a day but, in the lockdown, they have to do this at home with no sermon.

“As Muslims we do not go to the mosque at this time because of the lockdown regulations and we have to do everything at home. At home we do four rituals instead of two to compensate for the sermon that we don’t have,” said Ganief Hendricks, Al-Jama-ah leader and MP.

ericn@citizen.co.za

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