Today I’d like to share some thoughts with you as we grapple with this strange new system called “lockdown”.
We are indeed living in disconcerting and unsettling times. A little over a week ago, people on social media were wondering what they would do with all this extra time on their hands. A week into the shutdown, the media is abuzz with jokes, entertainment, videos of people suggesting exercise regimes, diet plans, learning programmes for pupils, and of course, ways to avoid contracting Covid-19, a disease that knows no race, class, gender, boundary or border.
Sadly, I’ve noticed that in suburbia, there are many who don’t hesitate to get in their cars and drive to the local shopping centre several times a week, as if it’s just another day.
And yet, as if across a great divide, we see another picture emerging. One is a picture of people who share meagre accommodation with many other individuals, making it virtually impossible for all to remain comfortably inside the house for any length of time.
The net result is that many people in such situations, spill out onto the streets. These areas, bereft of proper sanitation, open or green spaces, sidewalks or nearby supermarkets, pose a huge risk for the spread of the virus.
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We also see the most vulnerable of all – the aged having to risk their lives by using public transport, joining long, often uncontrolled queues, and waiting for hours to get their hands on their only means of survival for the next month. What a world of contrasts we live in… What a world of inequality, struggle, and hardship. Never before in my lifetime has the stark reality of “haves and have nots” been so exposed. And yet, despite these vastly different situations, we as South Africans are a people of resilience and hope.
In a country that professes to be predominantly that of followers of Jesus Christ, might I suggest that now is not the time to become overwhelmed or entrenched in a valley of despair, pity, fear, or hopelessness, as we serve a mighty Saviour; a God who never abandons nor forsakes His people.
It might be tempting for many who are unable to meet together in worship, or who feel deprived of freedom of movement, to see this lockdown as a dry desert place.
Frankly, I believe that this time has a purpose and that is for the world to realign and look to the Creator of all. It’s an opportunity for us to reflect deeply on all the things we hold onto and which have come to replace our faith, trust, and dependence on God.
It’s a perfect opportunity for the people of God to go to the deepest places of our being and ask some tough questions:
- Who is it that we serve? God or self?
- On whom do we truly depend each day? So often we rattle off the Lord’s prayer and say, “Give us today our daily bread”, but we find it fearful to truly live according to this.
- Some might even be asking, “Where is God in all of this?” Earlier this week I came across a post on society media that implied that Christians the world over are becoming aware of just how “weak and useless”
their God is. I disagree and believe this is a wonderful time for us to reveal to the world the love, grace, and mercy of our loving God.
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For this to happen, we need to become more like the early Christians who were not people of the doctrine, or even of a certain experience; they were known as people of “the way”. Why, you might ask? The answer is found in scripture. At a time when they were surrounded by Jews and Romans, early believers lived their lives rooted in the fact that Jesus was the Way. You see, they understood that their faith was about so much more than reading or listening to the Word.
They truly got it… That their journeys were about following Jesus in a very real, tangible way, by living and doing as He did.
As Christians living in modern times, there is temptation for us to retreat from the real world where there are real problems and dilemmas with real people and into a spirituality that depends on elaborate church buildings, large gatherings of people, flashy, loud music, numerous conferences, coffee and tea, event hopping, and so on. Often in these times, we “go” to church, but seldom truly connect with others and leave hoping to have been “filled” for the week.
But in this world that is so often measured by success and results, God calls us to redefine this. Is our faith not about obedience; an obedience to “go to the nations and make disciples… To baptise and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Was this not also reinforced after Jesus rised from the tomb and set the task for His followers, essentially instructing them to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).
Friends, this time may seem like a “valley time” for us, but as M Pilavachi wrote in his book, Soul Survivor, “The valleys are not pauses between mountains, they are where Christianity is lived out”. Every day we have a choice, whether locked in a house or out on the street, whether attending to those who are unwell or home-schooling our children- we get to choose to cooperate and work with God in the places in which He has placed us for that moment in time, or to take the easy option of singing happy songs while the world “goes to hell”(Pilavachi.
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So now is the time, the perfect time, to be able to see God in the mundane, in the places where we can truly live out, witness and be followers. God wants this time to speak to you and me, to speak to us when we’re gardening, or in conversation across fences with a neighbour.
He wants to meet with us and be with us as we reach out to befriend the lonely; those whom you know are shut in with no family close by, or too frail to care for themselves. He is waiting to bless you as you add tins of food to your trolley for the homeless.
He needs you now more than ever to be His beating heart and active hands and feet. Of course, all of this starts off with being silent enough to listen to His still, quiet voice, nudging and urging you into exploring new options. It requires us to be still and to pray. After all is prayer not perhaps “a way of life which allows you to find a stillness in the midst of the world where you open your hands to God’s promises and find hope for yourself, your neighbour and your world” (Nouwen HJ:1995: Opening Hands, Ava Maria Press).
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In conclusion, we are called to love God with all that we are and to then take that intensity and reach out to our neighbours. Now we all know that when Jesus was asked who constituted a neighbour, His answer was simple, yet extremely hard for us. We are pone to building fences around ourselves to keep people out. Jesus said, the best neighbour to the man injured and left for dead on the side of the road, was none other than the one who simply showed mercy This was further reinforced in many places in Scripture. Remember when He spoke about the sheep and goats, and described those who are blessed by God in Matthew 25: 31-46.
He said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine (the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the unclothed, the sick, the prisoner), you did for Me.” So pray and seek God’s guidance in how you can be the difference in your home, to your children, spouse, family, neighbours, and the world.
Finally, I leave you with a prayer to share or read daily during this extraordinary time of opportunity to be a follower of Jesus. God bless and keep you all.
A Prayer
Dear Jesus, You travelled through towns and villages “curing every disease and illness.”
At your command, the sick were made well. Come to our aid now, in the midst of the global spread of the coronavirus, that we may experience Your healing love.
Heal those who are sick. May they regain their strength and health through quality medical care.
Heal us from our fear, which prevents nations from working together and neighbours from helping one another.
Heal us from our pride, which makes us think we are invincible to a disease that knows no borders or race.
Jesus Christ, Healer of all, stay by our side in this time of uncertainty and sorrow.
Be with those who have died, for we pray that they will rest with You in Your eternal peace.
Be with the families of those who are sick or have died.
May they know Your peace and experience Your abundant grace.
Be with the doctors, nurses, researchers and all medical professionals who seek to heal, and help all who put themselves at risk as they serve humanity.
May they know Your protection and peace.
Be with the leaders of all nations. Give them the foresight to act with charity and true concern for the well-being of the people they are meant to serve.
Give them the wisdom to invest in long-term solutions that will help prevent future outbreaks.
May all people know Your peace, as they unite together to combat this illness; whether at home or abroad, surrounded by many who are suffering, or only a few.
Jesus Christ, be with us and and give us Your peace.
Lord, Jesus Christ, heal Your world and its people.
Amen.
