The Church and Covid-19

Some thoughts this morning on how the church responds to #covid-19 (#coronavirus)

Years ago, a group of men from the church gathered at a widow’s house in the neighborhood to make some repairs on her house. We stopped for a water break and sat down for a rest in the backyard.

When I took my seat, one of the men said, “That tree limb above you is dead.”

I look up and sure enough there hangs over me a rather large limb that is dead. So I get up and move to another location.

The person who told me about the limb asked, “You don’t have faith in God.”

I replied, “Sure I do. But I do not want to test God.”

I share that story because some Christians will respond to Covid-19 by testing God. I’m not saying this is a reason for not meeting this morning but for some they will come to church with a motive similar to that of those who handle snakes in church.

If you pick up a poisonous snake to show off your faith that’s not faith. That’s testing God. If you grab a snake to protect someone (love your neighbor) well that’s faith.

Faith in God and testing God can look the same yet with a different motive.

Let us come humbly before the Lord today. Let us pray for our neighbors, government officials and hospital staff. Let’s maintain our love for our neighbor because in doing so we are loving God.

Those who chose not to gather today doesn’t mean they are afraid. That could be the reason but not everyone.

Let’s be merciful, gracious, patient, gentle, and loving.

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7