Corona

The last few weeks have not been easy for our world, nation and community. As we all know the COVID-19 virus is wreaking havoc in our world. We are of course concerned for those who are suffering from this virus. At the same time the economic devastation brought on by this plague is equally tragic. Many, particularly the owners of small businesses are finding their livelihoods in jeopardy.  Some will no doubt find themselves un-employed.  There are those who are seeing their life savings evaporate as the stock market plunges.

Life is, at least for the moment, changing.  Folks are sheltering in place, living under self-quarantine, or to put it more simply just staying home.  Government and health care officials are scrambling for ways to combat the virus and ease its economic impact.

It is important at this time that we are unequivocally clear about something--this pandemic is not some divine judgment that God is delivering to our world.  We are not being judged and feeling God’s wrath for some iniquity that we have done.  That said, in these moments of distress God is most assuredly speaking to us. 

God doesn't give us everything that happens to us in life. There are times we make choices that lead to bad outcomes. Then there are times that life itself gives us some very troubling things and sometimes those things are even beyond our control. there is much that happens in life that we cannot handle. In times such as these we need the grace and power of God to endure . As Paul writes in the twelfth chapter of II Corinthians “[God's] grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” In the end, realizing our own limitations strengthens us by giving us a greater trust in God.

Paul also points us to another great truth in writing to the Christians at Rome.  In the fifth chapter of Romans he tells us, “And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us.”

Let us be clear.  Many of us may not be suffering in the classic sense that comes to mind when we think of as suffering.   However, many in our world, nation and community are suffering.  Further we are collectively suffering from the brokenness this crisis is exposing in our world. 

Note that Paul doesn’t say that God is the root cause of our suffering.   Rather, what we see is that God is at work in the midst of our suffering.  Suffering does indeed produce endurance.  Endurance is a fleeting commodity in our world today.  We tend to be a society that does not like to wait for things. 

Yet, the scriptures tell us there is virtue in waiting.  The prophet Isaiah writes, “Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.”  None of us like waiting for this crisis to pass.  Yet, in our waiting, in our endurance there is opportunity.

Paul notes that “endurance produces character.”  The truth is crisis can build character.  We can build our character by being good neighbors, by being aware of the needs of others.  During this time of crisis we are called to ask not, “How can I best protect myself?” but rather “How can I best serve my neighbor?

Our best service might be running an errand for an elderly friend, serving a meal to child home from school or calling and checking on someone who cannot leave home.  For all of us the one thing we can do is to be careful in our interactions with others. 

Perhaps the best things we can do is to insure we do nothing to make another ill.  Youth fiction author Ally Carter explains this line of thought when she says, “I [hear] a lot of people [saying] ‘I would survive the Corona virus. I’m taking my chances.’ The way I see it, yeah. I’d survive it. But I might carry it to someone who wouldn’t. And that, folks, is the problem.”  To think in that way is to show character.

As we grow in character Paul tells us that “character produces hope and hope does not disappoint us.”  There is hope even in these crisis moments. We are not without hope.

Friends, one day life will return to normal.  The hope of every crisis is that the lessons learned in this crisis are applicable to the next crisis.  The only question for our society is whether or not we will have the courage to learn the lessons this crisis brings.

In the meantime we have hope and hope does not disappoint us.  Amen and Amen.