Do not fear…
This short command is used most frequently in all of Scripture. We’re certainly no different today either. Fear will inevitably rattle us to our core at some point or another. No one is immune to it. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, where you grow up, male or female, young or old, fear has its way of finding you. It may be why we love movies that depict fearless characters. We enjoy watching people overcome fear because it seems to satisfy something within our soul.
This past week has been unlike any other in my short life. In many ways (of course there are differences) our current crisis has proliferated fear and anxiety similar to the terrorists attacks on 9/11 and the financial crisis in 2008. There’s a general sense of uncertainty pulsing throughout our nation.
Entire cities are shutting down. The stock market is imploding. Many small businesses wonder if they can weather the storm. College campuses are shutting down. Schools are off for the foreseeable future. Not to mention people are ravaging grocery stores in order to stock up the essentials (toilette paper, really?). The cascading effect of Covid-19 is unprecedented and there is no end in sight.
Covid-19 has uncovered and brought to the forefront our powerlessness and illusion of control, which has caused a pandemic of fear! It’s also called the bluff of individualism and consumerism. What’s happening is our stable lifestyles and modes of operating are being threatened. The secular world is being forced to confront some of life’s greatest questions. Where will people turn?
The good news is the people of God, the Church, have the answer in the person of Jesus Christ, the resurrected King of kings and Lord of lords! Make no mistake the church is having to confront the same issues of control, fear, and anxiety. The question for the Church is will they respond similarly to the secular world or the hope that is found in Jesus Christ.
There’s a short story from Tony de Mello’s book that I think fits our situation as Christians and the wider church. He writes,
A man found an eagle’s egg and put it in a nest of a barnyard hen. The eaglet hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them.
All his life the eagle did what the barnyard chicks did, thinking he was a barnyard chick. He scratched the earth for worms and insects, he clucked and cackled. And he would thrash his wings and fly a few feet into the air.
Years passed and the eagle grew very old. One day he saw a magnificent bird above him in the cloudless sky. It glided in graceful majesty among the powerful wind currents, with scarcely a beat of its strong golden wings. The eagle looked up in awe. “Who’s that?” he asked.
“That’s the eagle, the king of the birds,” said his neighbor. He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth — we are chickens.” So the eagle lived and died a chicken, for that’s what he thought he was.
The world and its powers have a way of forming us each one of us. Jesus once said, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other” (Mt 6:24). This pandemic is causing each one of us to reflect on who we truly rely on and trust. We can live decades without the peace and joy of Jesus in our lives and still say we’re Christians. We can do all of the “Christian things” and still not follow him. In other words, we can live as chickens not knowing our full potential as eagles.
Everyone is trying to find their way in the midst of this pandemic. We too are trying to figure out how to faithfully respond with our communities in Wilmore. What Jesus has been pressing on our mind, as leaders, is to follow expert advice (not the media!) and to also ask what Jesus is saying and what is our opportunity here?
We’ve been told to maintain social distance from others. But no one seems to be asking what happens if we all stop meeting. Isolation is a breeding ground for fear and loneliness.
I’m not suggesting we should gather in large groups of people! The CDC recommends to not meet with more than 10 people, which for most of our communities means we can still meet. If they eventually lower the number of people (in KY) then we will re-evaluate. But what’s great about our “ecology” is that we still have the ability to meet in bands, which are groups of 3-4 people. (If you’re in a situation and have felt isolated contact me and I can help you form a band!)
Whatever your situation may be at the moment I encourage you to ask what God wants you to do in this season. The gospel is not one of self-preservation! Throughout the centuries Christians have stepped up in times of dire need. I’m not saying to neglect expert suggestions (especially when it comes to vulnerable people). What I’m asking, as Christians, is how we should respond and what is our opportunity to live as witnesses to the gospel?
The temptation, with increased margin, is to fill it with pointless things. Instead of binging another TV show on Netflix or passing time on social media, seek Jesus in scripture and prayer! As people hoard food and cleaning supplies give some away to those in need. Maybe you know someone who needs help watching their kids so they can work or someone who lost their job and may need financial help. Have friends over for dinner and pray with each other.
As you can see, Jesus may be calling each one of us to respond in different ways. Don’t look back on this time and regret not pursuing Jesus and stepping up to help others. If we respond no differently than the world does do we really have what we profess (a living hope in Jesus)?
Your potential is to live into your true identity. To soar like eagles! I believe Jesus is wanting his church to wake up from its slumber. To seek Him, rely on Him, trust Him, and to share His love with a world that desperately needs Him!
If you need more suggestions on how God might want you to respond, read and reflect on this passage:
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Rom 12:9-18)
Do not fear… we have a God that raises the dead! We have, in Jesus Christ, a gospel of peace and joy. It’s our job to share what has been so richly given to us.
Please pray for our family and ministry as we try to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, pray for Kylie and her health as we prepare for the arrival of our second daughter.
In Christ,
Anthony
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