Every now and again a crisis hits us that forces us to ask, “do I really believe the gospel and, if so, what does it mean for how I live?” As I’ve talked with my friends across South-East Asia over the last couple of weeks it’s hard not to see the Corona virus as one of those. I want to offer some 500-year-old wisdom for how to get through the next few weeks.
In 1527 Martin Luther received a letter from some Christians in a neighbouring town. The plague – a disease that had, two centuries before, wiped out half of the European population was re-emerging, and Christians were trying to figure out what the gospel meant for how to face a crisis like that. Was it ok for Christians to flee?
Luther’s advice is excellent and says a lot about how we should handle ourselves, should Covid19 hit Canberra.
The whole letter is worth reading, and I’ve attached a copy with some helpful commentary around it for you to look at.
But here are four takeaways for me.
Don’t take unnecessary risks. Christians don’t have to be fatalistic about disease or presume it’s the judgement of God coming on them. The Bible assumes we will take care of ourselves and taking precautions are wise.
So: follow the advice of our government and health professionals. I have started listening to the ABC’s Coronacast podcast – it’s a daily 10-minute podcast telling me new things and answering questions. I’m hoping that listening to that will mean I won’t have to obsessively read other news.
Be on guard against Satan. In some ways the virus is the least of our worries. Our battle is not with flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). Satan would like nothing more than for us to forget the gospel and make us so deathly anxious that we forget the jewels of the gospel (e.g. resurrection hope, peace with God and his Fatherly care for us). We need to remember that whatever this virus can take from us (health, economic stability, social cohesion) it can never take Christ.
So: helping your neighbour and serving God when it costs is not just good – it annoys the devil. Panic buying, which is just an expression of anxious selfishness - get prepared by all means but don't believe the lie of scarcity.
Know your limits. Some people will wonder, "should I try and get out of the city?" The decision to stay and serve or head for the hills is one of calling, capacity and conscience. If you are working with the sick, or if you’re offering what used to be called “cure of souls” (i.e. you’re in pastoral ministry) then stay and serve. Luther had skin in the game with this one – he refused to leave so he could preach grace to the dying and he even jumped in and cared for the sick as best he could as a layman. Not everyone is going to be useful in that regard and so getting out of the way might be the best idea.
So: pay attention to your conscience as you consider how to act rightly in this circumstance. The questions "should I go to work/send my kids to school/continue to participate in normal life?" are wisdom questions to weigh and might be worth discussing with other godly people
Keep meeting. Christianity is a community project. Church is not an optional extra to the Christian life. Quarantine is important for halting the spread of disease, but where that is not mandated we should carry on meeting to have the medicine of the gospel applied to our hearts in the word, in song and in the breaking of bread.
So: the higher ups in the Anglican church are releasing guidance in the next few days on how to promote safety in churches. We’ll also be considering the specific risks that come up in our context and will look at ways to mitigate those risks.
Our friends in Singapore are taking everyone’s temperature as they come in for church! We are a long way from the need for that kind of response, but if we got there, be prepared for a little inconvenience for the sake of the oasis of the joyful people of God.
Please keep praying against the spread, against herd selfishness, against racism, against despair.
Please pray for our city's health workers, especially those in our church. Pray for a vaccine. Pray for opportunities to be evidently living with gospel hope.
Grace and Peace,
Steve