For the past couple of weeks my wife and I have been staying at home except for the occasional trip to the supermarket or a run to pick up a meal from one of our local restaurants. Today was the first day of the mandated stay in policy here in Indiana. We spent some time reading and enjoyed some time on the back deck soaking up the sunshine on this beautiful day. We had three nice meals. At one point my wife commented that it was nice not to feel like we had to be somewhere and to be doing something. She said it reminded her of their family visits with her grandparents where they did nothing but sit and visit with one another.
On the news this evening we heard the reports of how the virus is spreading in various communities and the critical need many hospitals have for supplies. It appears Congress may pass a package to financially help individuals and small businesses. We heard the tragic news of more deaths today from the virus and added pleas for people to stay in place and keep their distance from others when they do have to go out. There was also one story of how some churches are refusing to obey these orders and holding services anyway. Rick Warren was asked what he thought about these churches. He commented that God gave us a brain and expects us to use it. Common sense would tell anyone that avoiding crowds is the best way right now of slowing the spread of this virus.
I remember the Sunday after 9/11 I commented to our congregation that our nation would never be the same again. Time has proven my words to be true. National security concerns have impacted air travel and brought Big Government into our lives in ways most of us could not have imagined. We have much less expectations of privacy than we had before 9/11. It will be interesting to see how this outbreak of coronavirus affects the future of our nation and the relationships we will have with other countries around the world. Now that we have seen a virus bring the world to its knees we should not be surprised if we don't once again find ourselves living in a new normal.
This is an opportunity for the church to shine. People are frightened. They are afraid of the virus, they are afraid of shortages, they are afraid of the financial markets, they are afraid of losing their jobs, and most of all, they are afraid of the unknown. This is the time for the church to reach out to the fearful, the elderly, and the hurting. We can check on them to make sure they are OK. This afternoon I called a lady to make sure she was doing all right, and she assured me she had plenty of food and that her pastor had already called promising to bring her anything she needed. If everyone in the church made just one such phone call a day during this pandemic it would do much to reassure people they were not alone.
We also have a message for their fears. The Gospel is a message of hope. It reminds us that God is present in the worst of times and is a comfort to those who seek Him. Right now we can't hold worship services, and we shouldn't, but with the technology available we can still broadcast that message out for all to hear it. For the past two Sundays there has probably been more worship services and gospel preaching on social media than any time since we had the Internet. I have to believe that there are some who heard that message that would never have darkened a church door. Maybe this is part of the new normal that will come out of this.
Let's not give people cause to condemn the church for ignoring the mandates to not assemble in large crowds. Do we really want to put our people at risk that way? Besides, it sends a message to the unchurched that we think we are better than they are because we don't have to follow the same rules they do. That's not the message we want to be sending. The message we want to send is one of hope and one that points people to God.
Let's pray for one another. Pastors and medical professionals are working hard to serve their people so let's especially pray for them. Let's pray for the individuals who are battling this illness and for the families who have lost loved ones already. Let's find new and creative ways to broadcast the Gospel to everyone who will hear it. Let's check on one another frequently. When we've done all that, pick up a good book, prop up your feet and chill.
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