Two months ago few of us knew “coronavirus” was an actual word. Now it is the top news story.
Following Jesus while the Coronavirus Spreads
From Pastor Chris
Two months ago few of us knew “coronavirus” was an actual word. Now it is the top news story, with reports of new cases and preventative measures updating throughout the day. How do we follow Jesus faithfully through this new and unexpected situation?
Our study through Mark’s gospel informs our response. Each time Jesus predicts his death and resurrection in Mark 8, 9, and 10, he attaches to it a call to follow him:
“Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” (8:35-36)
“If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” (9:35)
“Whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (10:44-45)
Following Jesus is a call to serve others, to lay down our lives for others, and to fix our ultimate hope on resurrection with Jesus. This is antithetical to a life of self-preservation at all costs. Jesus died that we might live. He calls us to the same life of sacrifice.
For Jesus, this did not translate into a life of recklessness or negligence. John’s gospel records four times when Jesus avoided serious conflict, imprisonment, or death because his hour had not yet come. His was a purposeful sacrifice.
Church history contains beautiful accounts of those who took calculated risks while following Jesus:
- Epaphroditus “nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life” to carry the Philippians’ gift to Paul in his imprisonment in Rome (Philippians 2:30).
- In A.D. 252 a plague broke out in Carthage, a port city in North Africa. Most of the residents left their dead and fled the city. According to William Barclay, “Cyprian, the Christian bishop, gathered his congregation together and set them to burying the dead and nursing the sick in that plague-stricken city; and by so doing they saved the city, at the risk of their lives, from destruction and desolation.” They called those brave souls “the gamblers.”
- Early in Charles Spurgeon’s ministry a major cholera outbreak occurred just across the river from his London church. Geoff Chang writes that Spurgeon was inspired by “Puritan ministers who stayed behind to care for the sick and dying during the Great Plague of London in 1665” and determined to love people well during this pandemic.
Our hope in the resurrection emboldens us to such acts of service. A young father in our church suggested that some who have sturdier immune systems might volunteer to run errands for those older folks in our church who have concerns about exposure to the coronavirus. There are many such ways that we can love one another sacrificially.
This runs parallel to a call to love our neighbors by taking wise steps not to spread the virus. “Discretion is the better part of valor” (that’s Shakespeare, not the Bible). So take all the wise steps that the CDC recommends– wash your hands for 20 seconds (they say to sing Happy Birthday twice; I would suggest a more spiritually nourishing timer like praying the Lord’s Prayer or singing the Doxology), wave instead of shaking hands, and stay home if you are sick. From the moment we heard about the coronavirus, our housekeeper, Brie Ditsche, stocked up on hand sanitizer for the church. On Saturday some of our deacons helped Brie disinfect all the pews in the sanctuary. We are also increasing the frequency that our children’s Sunday School rooms are wiped down.
In the days to come we will need to assess what impact this pandemic will have on our public gatherings. Fairfax County Public Schools has cancelled school on Monday to give staff time to prepare for potential closures. If they move forward with closures, we will evaluate—as we would with a snow day—the wisdom of limiting our gatherings as well. For now, use wisdom. If you have concerns about your susceptibility, stay home and stay in touch. Otherwise, I hope to see you on Wednesday for prayer meeting and on Sunday for our services.
In all of these precautions, our desire is to be driven not by fear but by love. We want to love one another and our neighbors well. As we get more information about the spread of coronavirus in the DMV, we will prayerfully consider the best options and communicate the ways we plan to magnify God’s reputation of sacrificial love through how we help one another.