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Confusion and chaos. Unclarity and Uncertainty. Sickness and scarcity. Situations like this can breed fear. Fear causes us to become xenophobic, it enhances our fear of the other. We go into self preservation mode, focusing on “me and mine first.” And when this happens, the ugliness often comes to the surface. It causes people to scapegoat and blame. People are intrinsically tribal, but this gets a shot of steroids during hard times. Ugliness happens when people are afraid.

 

This is not the first time the Church has experienced a pandemic, disaster, or anxiety of the future. The early Church faced this and they experienced great growth. Part of it was because they believed that they were called to imitate Jesus and suffer for others. Their life was spent demonstrating their faith to the community around them. They believed that even if they died, they would live again and so their hope was not only in this life and so they were outrageously generous. This caused others to convert, because they won the hearts of many.

 

As Christians our response is not one of fear. St. Paul teaches us, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim 1:7). Like the various viruses before it, this virus could be big, or it could be less severe, but however it goes, as Christians we need to place our anxiety, not on ourselves, but on Jesus. Whereas fear causes us to be xenophobic, the kingdom moves in the exact opposite direction. The kingdom moves in the direction of the love of the other. This is our calling. We live in love as Christ loved you and gave his life for you. 

 

Martin Luther addressed this same concern about how to respond during an outbreak of disease. In his letter “Whether One May Flee From a Deadly Plague,” he says that those in Word and Sacrament ministry should not run away but remain steadfast before the peril of death, and give care to the sick and the dying. Wisely, he does not encourage us to expose ourselves recklessly to danger. His letter deals well with two competing goods: the sanctity of one’s own life, and the sanctity of the life of those in need. “All of us,” Luther says, “have the responsibility of warding off this poison to the best of our ability because God has commanded us to care for the body.” Ultimately you will need to decide whether to flee or to stay during plagues, trusting that you will arrive at a faithful decision through prayer and meditation on the Scriptures. Caring for the sick comes out of grace, not obligation. While it is wise to take care of your health, in the kingdom there is always space for the other. So if you know of someone that is having problems whether it’s with this virus or something else, go and check on them, give them a call. Follow the spirit in how you might help others.

 

We do not believe that God will magically protect us simply because we have prayed all while we act foolishly and carelessly. In being faithful to our Lord, we might put ourselves willingly in situations that bring greater risk to our health, livelihoods and safety. We also do not put our ultimate trust in our sanitation abilities. There is evil in the world that is bigger than us and this virus is one of those evils. It is in the face of great evil that we pray and will not be afraid. Economies rise and fall. But we are generous. The virus will spread and it will be treated. But we put our life in Christ. Our dependence on God is in every situation. Not just the good and not just the bad. In all situations we trust God, and in all situations God is glorified. The Church has faced times of suffering, illness and disease before, and we will face it the same way the Church always faces it - with the sure and confident dependence on our loving and gracious God.