Let's get some perspective

The Coronovirus is bringing considerable human pain. It is also resulting in significant economic disruption from quarantines, restrictions on travel, factory closures and a sharp decline in many service sector activities. It seems the world has gone into panic mode. We are being forced to ask, “Are we really a society who freaks out over toilet paper? Is that what we’ve come to?” People need something they can count on. They need perspective to find a more solid foundation to base their life upon.

At this moment, our culture needs something it doesn’t have. It needs a peace that surpasses understanding. We are surrounded by anxiety and fear. Yet as followers of Christ, we are called to meet all things with faith. As Corrie ten Boom once said “Worry doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrows, it empties today of its strength.” 

The COVID-19 crisis may have exposed some weaknesses in national economies, tested health systems, and even political ideologies but it also shows us the fact that most people recover quickly and relatively few die. The real enemy is fear, panic buying and selfishness

Already however, we know that this type of disease cannot be efficiently fought at an individual level, but only as a society. It requires preparation, co-ordination, planning and the ability to make rapid decisions and scale up efforts. A strong Government approach but a Community response.

Government alone is not enough. The situation demands personal responsibility, a sense of compassion, a concern for one’s neighbour. If you do not belong to a risk group, your capability is not so much to protect yourself but to take care to protect others, even if that brings personal inconvenience.

Looking ahead an effective treatment will be discovered soon (Gilead’s antiviral drug remdesivir currently shows some promise) and the response to develop vaccines has been the most rapid in history. These will be ready for any next wave of infection

We are called by God to treat others as we would want to be treated, and to serve and love those around us. Most of us are not at serious risk from COVID-19, but we have many in our community who are—namely the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions. If the spread of the virus is not controlled, not only will it put many we know and love in danger, but our medical system will be overstressed and less able to serve the vulnerable in need. So we live out our faith with acts of love, compassion and service which we will have the opportunity to bring to bear and to witness in the coming days.

This Christian response has been the same throughout history, from the earliest days when the Plagues hit Rome in the first Century, Christians have not run away but stayed and helped

Should all Churches be closed? In reality our choices will depend on Government lockdown rules. Seattle’s mayor replied to people who criticized him when he closed all meeting places in 1918 in response to the Spanish Flu, “Religion which won’t keep for two weeks is not worth having.” Our faith is not in buildings but Jesus. Our beliefs lead us to help not grasp.

God has not given us a spirit of fear

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. (Philippians 4:6-7, Msg)