Reflection for March 19, 2020
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” – 1 Peter 5:6-7
In one of the strangest twists of a coronavirus press conference I’ve seen so far, the Mayor of Buffalo, NY offered this advice:
“For those of you that want to celebrate Tom Brady leaving the New England Patriots and hopefully leaving the AFC East, there are no mass gatherings. Celebrate responsibly, celebrate at home, and with less than 10 people present.”
https://www.espn.com/watch/player?hidenav=true&id=28919566&playertech=brightcove&roadblock=false
As a native New Englander, at any other time in any other circumstance, news of Tom Brady leaving the Patriots would be front and center on my radar.
What would have been earth-shattering news to me a couple of weeks ago barely registers as a blip now.
Like everyone else, I’m consumed by other things.
I am stressed. I’m worried about my family. I’m worried about a stranger’s cough on a trip to the grocery store. I’m worried that the store won’t have what I need when I get there. I’m worried about my wife who still has to go into her office (albeit on staggered schedules, to allow social distance). I’m worried that I might be one of the ones who has the virus without knowing it, and that I might be spreading it to others.
There are a lot of “what if’s” in our lives right now. A lot of worries. A lot of anxieties that, left unchecked, could get the better of us.
And we are right to worry.
We are in a scary time – a pandemic that very well could be the next Spanish Flu of 100 years ago. And the reason we’re all in our homes and being told not to shake hands or gather in groups is to head off that worst-case scenario.
The worries that we have are perfectly rational, and frankly, I’m a little worried for anyone who’s not worried these days.
Yet we also know that we live under the hand of a mighty God who cares for us.
I do not believe for a moment that this pandemic is of God’s making. This is not a punishment for our sins, nor an indictment of our humanity. Instead, our world is full of good things and bad things. A virus is just a virus. It has no moral or ethical purpose. It simply exists. Unfortunately, it exists in relationship with us, and that relationship happens to be really, really bad for us.
But we also happen to be in another relationship that is really, really good for us.
As people of God’s church, we are all part of the body of Christ.
This doesn’t make us immune to the pains of the world, but gives us strength and courage to endure those pains. Our God, Christ himself, knew hunger. He knew sorrow. He what it meant to live in uncertainty.
With Christ at our side we are not spared from the troubles of the world. But we are certain not to face them alone. This virus will do what it will do, and we can (and are) taking measures to limit its spread. And the worries, the fears, and the pain it causes are absolutely appropriate during this time.
But we are so very fortunate to have a God who loves us, and invites us to share those anxieties with him. So we can pray to God in this time, pouring out all the worries that afflict us, and find comfort in the promise of his refuge, under the protection of his mighty hand.
May God be with all of us at Faith Reformed Church, in the fellowship of all believers, and with the whole of his creation.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” – 1 Peter 5:6-7
In one of the strangest twists of a coronavirus press conference I’ve seen so far, the Mayor of Buffalo, NY offered this advice:
“For those of you that want to celebrate Tom Brady leaving the New England Patriots and hopefully leaving the AFC East, there are no mass gatherings. Celebrate responsibly, celebrate at home, and with less than 10 people present.”
https://www.espn.com/watch/player?hidenav=true&id=28919566&playertech=brightcove&roadblock=false
As a native New Englander, at any other time in any other circumstance, news of Tom Brady leaving the Patriots would be front and center on my radar.
What would have been earth-shattering news to me a couple of weeks ago barely registers as a blip now.
Like everyone else, I’m consumed by other things.
I am stressed. I’m worried about my family. I’m worried about a stranger’s cough on a trip to the grocery store. I’m worried that the store won’t have what I need when I get there. I’m worried about my wife who still has to go into her office (albeit on staggered schedules, to allow social distance). I’m worried that I might be one of the ones who has the virus without knowing it, and that I might be spreading it to others.
There are a lot of “what if’s” in our lives right now. A lot of worries. A lot of anxieties that, left unchecked, could get the better of us.
And we are right to worry.
We are in a scary time – a pandemic that very well could be the next Spanish Flu of 100 years ago. And the reason we’re all in our homes and being told not to shake hands or gather in groups is to head off that worst-case scenario.
The worries that we have are perfectly rational, and frankly, I’m a little worried for anyone who’s not worried these days.
Yet we also know that we live under the hand of a mighty God who cares for us.
I do not believe for a moment that this pandemic is of God’s making. This is not a punishment for our sins, nor an indictment of our humanity. Instead, our world is full of good things and bad things. A virus is just a virus. It has no moral or ethical purpose. It simply exists. Unfortunately, it exists in relationship with us, and that relationship happens to be really, really bad for us.
But we also happen to be in another relationship that is really, really good for us.
As people of God’s church, we are all part of the body of Christ.
This doesn’t make us immune to the pains of the world, but gives us strength and courage to endure those pains. Our God, Christ himself, knew hunger. He knew sorrow. He what it meant to live in uncertainty.
With Christ at our side we are not spared from the troubles of the world. But we are certain not to face them alone. This virus will do what it will do, and we can (and are) taking measures to limit its spread. And the worries, the fears, and the pain it causes are absolutely appropriate during this time.
But we are so very fortunate to have a God who loves us, and invites us to share those anxieties with him. So we can pray to God in this time, pouring out all the worries that afflict us, and find comfort in the promise of his refuge, under the protection of his mighty hand.
May God be with all of us at Faith Reformed Church, in the fellowship of all believers, and with the whole of his creation.