It is starting to feel old at this point.
Social distance, wear a mask,stay 6ft apart, meet outside, wash your hands, don’t hug, protect others from getting sick protect yourself.
These circumstances have shaken us to our very foundations, our economy our work relationships have been disrupted our churches
have closed and reopened but looking far different than before.
It started with toilet paper disappearing off the shelves, panic buying with a second wave of the virus looming are we all going to repeat the antics of before, let us hope we have all learnt a bit more since then but I doubt it, as the toilet rolls are disappearing again; perhaps the worst doomsday scenario is this, being stuck on the toilet and finding you are down to the last square.
What does god call followers of Jesus to do in times like this? How should we respond to the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic. What is the Christian response to the seismic events like these.
Well this is our 5th Sunday meeting since being closed and slowly we have gained strength week by week to have fellowship together with restrictions but it has been good to meet some of our family again.
On the night before he suffered on the cross, Jesus encouraged his disciples with these words “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” Jesus gave those who follow him a promise of peace that is different from what the world experiences. If you have accepted Jesus’ death for the forgiveness of your sins, the reality is that you can face any challenge, suffering or loss with hope and peace. As followers of Jesus, we know the one who says of himself that he is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, the creator of heaven and earth, who holds all things together by his power. We can rest in a future that is secure because we have a relationship with god through faith in Jesus. Jesus promised his followers they did not have to be afraid. And those promises apply to those of us who follow him to day. God has promised that nothing can separate us from the love of god neither death nor life height nor depth nothing in all creation can take from us the love and security and peace of god. That includes quarantine, it includes layoffs and economic crises.
As Christians we have a basis for hope that is real and lasting. In Matthew Jesus tells his followers, you are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to the father who is heaven. As the coronavirus spreads, so will fear and uncertainty and the world in which we live will cry out for reassurance and peace. We have the opportunity to live unafraid, to show others a hope that is not just based on wearing a face mask or the development of a vaccine but that rests in a relationship with the god of the universe. We can be people of peace and love because Jesus has forgiven us our sins and transformed our lives and as transformed people we have a message of hope to offer. In the midst of this uncertainty, reject the temptation to live out fear. But be at peace. Love others well, help keep others safe and share the reason for the hope that you have.
It is hard because we feel a overwhelming anxiety come creeping in; we feel stripped bare and barren and disoriented in the heat of this new reality, our current cultural moment with the COVID pandemic is a wilderness moment for the world.
Wilderness moments while they can look and feel like death can also be where God meets us. In this time we may feel abandoned, alone and forgotten by god. The pandemic feels too big even as we go through our own losses anxiety or pain we grieve the situations of people experiencing poverty or displacement people who don’t seem to arrive in a promised land of their own, what are we to do with so much suffering, injustice sin and death.
The wilderness place in the bible story is never simply a place of abandonment. When the Israelites were delivered from slavery in Egypt it was the wilderness wanderings that tested them and focused them towards god, they were provided for even as the resources were limited.
In seasons such as the one we are now in we find ourselves stripped of many comforts any false sense of control. It is here that we are offered the chance to get to know the god who uses his power on behalf of his people.
Recalling the ancient Israelites we might wonder if God has brought us out in to the wilderness to abandon and kill us. Yet this story shows us God intended the desert as a place to save. In her book A Beautiful Disaster author Marlena Graves writes “He brought us out to save us, to show us his power to offer his comfort and to put to death whatever is in us that is not him.” Being limited we do not understand how the providence and goodness of god interact with the evil of this virus. But we know that in Gods economy nothing is wasted. As with all of the trial we walk through. He makes use of these experiences to sanctify and lead us closer to himself. The desert will either draw us deeper in to the story of a good God or cause us to turn our backs in favour of our own kingdoms control.
In times like these when we have been whittled away by this desert, we see that our sense and stability and control was puffed up. We have an invitation, will we expose ourselves to meaningful loss to become vulnerable, woundable in the world. Perhaps God can use only woundable things.
Abundant life in Christ is fashioned in barren places. The Wilderness whether literal or figurative involves stripping down to only what is essential. It was in this space that Jesus met the temptation of Satan and in doing so triumphed over the failed attempts of his people in their own desert temptations. This means that even as we find our bearings towards God even as we fight the very process, Jesus is more than just an example for us. He triumphed over temptation to glory. He endured the cross. He was raised again to new life all on our behalf.
This means that when we wake up in a sweat soaked bed off anxiety, when we resort to numbing ourselves in countless ways when we feel depressed and powerless at the current global struggle unfolding day by day, we can choose to rest in Christ even in the global health pandemic, Jesus whom we all call Immanuel, meaning God With Us lives up to his name.
When tragedy, sickness hardship and death strike it becomes easy to wonder where is God? Perhaps you have asked that question given the Covid. You may be in a financial strain because you lost your job, are scared because you have someone close to you that test positive, or simply might be lonely given the social distancing restrictions. It’s all an unfamiliar territory to be in, how could God let this happen to us and the world. The question now consumes the minds of millions of believers who quiver at steadily rising death toll. In just the past few weeks millions have started to fear together that the world is moving towards the end at a terrifying speed thanks to the pandemic. The sheer horror of this fast moving infection is coupled with the almost physical shock from its sudden onset.
The question is essentially the same that people ask when a hurricane wipes out hundreds of lives or when a single child dies from cancer. It is called the problem of suffering or the mystery of evil. It’s a question that Christians have been grappling for millenniums. The question of natural suffering, from illness or natural disaster, differs from that of moral evil, which would be like Hitler’s actions. The truth is no one really knows the answer but God. People could argue that it’s to teach the world a lesson, but others could argue that means he is not all loving.
One thing we do know for certain, though, is that God has not abandoned us. The Lord promised us in the Bible, multiple times, that he will never forsake us or leave us in our time of need. He is still walking by us, and the world, helping us get through this terrible time. Where is God ? God is with us. Here are the promises you need to remember.
God is always in control and he loves you. This remains true despite what the circumstances may be. God has assured us that he will work all things to our good and nothing can change that truth. Every opportunity, joy and success we experience as well as painful losses and failures are a part of his plan. Gods work is in progress in our daily lives.
In psalms David praises God and his nurturing care in midst of trials. It says Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me your rod and your staff they comfort me, even when we are in deep shadows, God is there, not as an observer, but as a protective shepherd, close at hand. His care extends to every part of our lives at this very moment. When we cry out he knows our pain, when we sing he knows our joy and when we lean hard he is always there for us. God is your refuge and his everlasting arms are always there to support and hold you.
Every negative feeling we have is one that God understands; your pain, confusion and suffering and asks you to put it on his shoulders. God doesn’t think your feelings are irrational or over the top, how you respond to this crisis will be different from others and that’s ok. God is not judging you he wants to be there for you.
Proverbs says “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” No matter how much we try to plan the next few weeks of our lives, the truth is that the world is unpredictable right now, what the newscasters say might change within 24 hours. Only God really knows the path we are on, and we have to trust in his plan for the world. We have to humble ourselves in front of him, and understand that there will be something greater for us on the other side..
Despite Covid God is guiding his people no virus will ever be able to separate us from Gods love and power. He will continue to fight for us, but we have to trust is plan.
In times of crisis and adversity, peace is a precious commodity, and no peace is more precious than the peace God gives us through his son. In fact when fear and uncertainty abound, as Gods people we ought to be a reservoir of his peace. We can become a sanctuary where our family, friends and others may turn for prayer, assurance and encouragement. Jesus tells us in John in the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world, the apostle Paul takes this incredible encouragement one step further telling us that not only does Christ bring peace, but that he himself is our peace, God is in you.
We struggle as a society to cope with natural tragedies. It can be hard to wonder where god is during this dark time. The truth is that God is still with is, walking us through the pain and suffering. He is guiding us and wrapping his protective arms around our scared hearts.
John Ashworth