"The Christian Response" to Covid-19

Ok. It's happening to me too, and it is frustrating. It seems as if there is nothing to talk about right now besides the Coronavirus. If you pick up the newspaper, it's on the front page. The topic has pretty much dominated my social media feed. Maybe if hockey was on, we could talk about that. But here we are. What else is there?

To be fair, I haven't written in years, but this whole crisis has us talking and thinking about the very basic issues of life. Before this pandemic, our culture was wrapped up in trying to discover the new 57 or so genders and how to tell which one you were. I didn't know how to engage with that world and had very little to say. I haven't discovered more than two sexes, but admittedly wasn't going around looking under anyone's dress. Now that we are back to talking about living and dying, I feel equipped to engage.

As you may have gathered, I'm one of those people who thinks there is a God. There is life available after this life and He has both made and shown us the way to get it. For those of you who are only going to live once, I'm good with that if you're really good with it. Some of us however feel that death is a tragedy; it wasn't meant to be this way and have found our way off this rock alive in Christ. So for those of us who are in Christ, how are we to navigate these times?


Release the Panic

It's almost humorous to watch isn't it? Seriously - these are funny times. There is no shortage of the jokes surrounding the pandemic. In hindsight, one of the silliest facets of our time was watching people as they panic purchased large volumes of toilet paper. Last week there was a picture circulating on Facebook of a woman returning a whole shopping cart of toilet paper to Walmart.

Panic does not befit us. I am not saying that Christians don't panic. That would be wrong. We are subject to the same emotions as everyone else and often respond the same an the general public. I said it wasn't fitting. Our emotions aren't supposed to be our master.

We serve the God who sits on the throne of the Universe. There should be some comfort in that. He has a plan for how things are going to shake out in this world. He has promised to be with us, EVEN to the end of the age. No matter how dark these days get, and they will be dark, we can count on Him being there when we need Him most. We WILL die, yet as rough as the dying can be, He has defeated death itself. I'll put that paragraph in point form if you find it helpful.

1. He is in control
2. He is with us
3. He has a plan
4. He has defeated death

Call them facts. Call them promises. Call them what you may. These should be reason enough to let go of the panic, even if the Holy Spirit has not yet worked to quiet our troubled hearts.


Do What Needs Doing

I think resting in Christ allows us to let go of the panic, which in turn enables us to represent Him decently. Not everyone is panicked. While there are people panic buying all the flour and toilet paper, there are also a lot of people who see little need to respect the times. I had a person last week tell me, "I don't believe in all of this". They were bitter that their life had to be so inconvenienced, just because a few old people were dying.

I wasn't alive during the bubonic plague, but much has been written about how believers responded then. Although many were just as panicked as the general populace, many were also observed to care for the dying, subjecting themselves even to death. Some of you have responded similarly now. You have felt God nudging you to continue to serve or volunteer for health care in some capacity. Nobody has thanked you for responding to God's call, so I'll say it here.

Thank you.

So is that it? We should all sign up to volunteer at a Covid testing clinic? I know that what I say next won't help guide everyone of us in navigating their role during a global pandemic. I trust however that it's useful enough.

Do the most responsible thing given your situation. (Even if you could die)

The "even if you could die" clause is important here. God has a history of calling people to do what needs doing, even in the face of death. I think of Moses. I think of Gideon. I think of the disciples. I think of Paul. I think Jesus died doing what needed doing.

Staying home MIGHT be the most responsible thing for you to do. Going to work might be the most responsible thing to do. Making masks, delivering food; these could be the responsible things given your context. Who is around you and what needs do you see that you could meet?


Whether we live or die, may Christ be glorified through us. Represent Him well.



That's all for now. Stay in school and don't do drugs. I forgot. Times have changed. You can't go to school anymore. So...

Just don't do drugs.

:-)