Coronavirus Sunday

I’m declaring this Sunday, March 15 Coronavirus Sunday. 

As North Americans we are so used to disasters being localized (think hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes) and in other eras (the 1918 Spanish flu or the polio epidemic in the early 1900s) and on other continents ( Haiti’s devastating earthquake, Japan’s earthquake and tsunami, widespread famines in Africa in the early 2000s). 

We think of ourselves as above and beyond most of these disasters. But now we have a pandemic with an erratic stock market predicting economic disaster and the potential for large numbers of unemployed people. While we as adults are processing these circumstances, the children in our midst are processing it as well. First, they are watching us. Second, if they are over four or five years old, they are likely discussing this with one another.

As believers how are we to be? What ought we to be about? What are the truths we need to believe about God? And bottom line, if you were to teach your children or the children in your church this Sunday what Bible lesson would you teach?

I believe that we are to find our rest in God. We are to be strong in our Lord and we are called to bear the Gospel of Jesus to our hurting world. 

First, we are to rest in our God. God knows about coronavirus. He has known about this. He is sovereign over our broken world. If you are his child you can rest in the truth that God is changeless, His love for us never ends. He walks with us. He listens to our cries and understands them. While it’s normal and human to be anxious, it yields no benefits, except one—it ought to cause us to bring our anxieties to him. We can breath in the depth of his promises and care for us in his Word. Part of rest is also to model wise use of our devices such as following the news at pre-established times. If we don’t, our lives will be lost in idleness and heightened anxiety and this will consume our conversations. 

Second, we are to be strong in the Lord. We must remember how God worked in the lives of the characters of Scripture who faced severe trials. How many times did David hide and run from Saul during the 14 years before he was made king? Given the opportunity to kill Saul single-handed, he refused. That cost him more years of hiding. And in the end he lost his best friend, Jonathan. Yet, David was totally dependent on God who gave him divine protection. God reigned in his life.

I love the story of Esther who bravely faced down King Mordecai with her decision, “If I perish, I perish.” Armed with prayer and resolute belief that this is what God has intended all along, she risked her very life to save her people.

Do all of God’s people surmount and survive the circumstances they encounter? No. Hebrews 11 gives us a long and humbling list of those who died in faith having not received what God promised. Did God fail them? The writer of Hebrews emphatically writes that their hope was in in a better kingdom, an eternal city of God.

Third, we are to be bearers of the good news of Jesus Christ. We can make soup for our neighbors and visit with them at safe distances. We can creatively and safely grocery shop for each other. And we can pray. Most of us have unexpected extra time to pray. I suggest using a map of the world as a guide for prayer, starting with the Coronavirus- affected nations. Pray for medical aide and resources. Pray that people would come to know Jesus. Pray for the work of churches and evangelists in these countries. Pray for recovery, unity, and safety.

Caring for others involves living with wisdom and sacrifice. As much as possible distance yourself from others. Don’t be a vector. Enough people have to circulate—health care professionals, pharmacists, emergency workers, truckers, grocery store employees—if you don’t need to congregate with others, don’t. 

And if you’re teaching children Sunday school this Sunday, at a safe distance I will add, what will you teach? Check out my blog titled A Coronavirus Sunday Lesson.