Loving Others while Sheltering in Place
Dear Church,
Many of you have seen, “The Fiddler on the Roof”. In the opening scene, Tevia sings the famous song, “Tradition!” I know you can hear it in your heads now. “Tradition, Tradition!” When we moved to Texas over 8 years ago now, we were immediately impressed with how friendly Texans are. Everyone waves and says hello to each other. It’s a Texas tradition. Molly and I have been out walking a lot lately since there’s nothing else to do while we are “sheltered in place.” We’ve noticed that people have abandoned the tradition of friendliness. In its place I see suspicion. “Suspicion, Suspicion!” People seem to be suspicious that I may have the Corona Virus and that they can catch it by making eye contact!
I believe that the Corona Virus presents an opportunity, unprecedented in our lifetimes, to show the love of Christ to others. We’ve had isolated local tragedies like Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Harvey, and the earthquake in Haiti. We’ve even had global pandemics before. The “Spanish flu” in 1918, the H2N2 virus pandemic in 1957-1958, the H3N2 virus in 1968 each killed millions. As recently as 2009, the H1N1 virus ravaged the world killing hundreds of thousands.
Why do I say then that this pandemic gives us an opportunity like no other to show the love of Christ? It’s because we now live in the information and technology age. As technology continues to advance, we can minister to others in so many ways. We can share the gospel, encouraging messages, devotional thoughts, even money when needed, while sitting in front of our computers, sheltering in place. I don’t think it’s an accident that this pandemic has come along at this time. You don’t need me to tell you that the world has abandoned God. But God has a plan. I pray that one of God’s purposes in the Corona Virus is to cause revival. If it is, He will do it through Christians who show the love of Christ to a fearful world.
1 John 4:9-11 says this: 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (NIV).
If you’re like me, you’re so accustomed to talking to Christians, that you forget that most people in the world don’t trust God’s sovereignty and goodness. I’ve been alarmed at the level of fear and panic I’ve heard from unbelievers. How can we use the resources we have to love one another as God loved us?
Remember that your phone makes phone calls! Call people that you suspect are afraid. Give them assurance and encouragement. Try your hand at writing short devotionals like this one, and send them to your whole email distribution list. I’ve recently discovered Zoom, a videoconferencing tool that allows interactive meetings. It’s so simple to use. I’ll be doing prayer meetings and Bible studies in the upcoming weeks using Zoom. You can lead prayer meetings with your friends and family through Zoom too.
We can invite people to attend church online. Some people are intimidated by walking into a church for the first time. Facebook live presents them with a no risk opportunity to attend church and hear the gospel. So invite them! We can bring meals, check on the elderly, run errands for people, and do countless other things to show them the love of Christ through service. Most of us are probably doing some of these things for our Christian brothers and sisters already. They are the low hanging fruit. If we really want revival, we will have to step out of our comfort zone, and start to serve the unbelievers among us too.
I don’t want others to look at me with suspicion. I want others to feel the love of Christ through me. I want to help others experience the peace and love of God who sent His Son to die on the cross so that we might live. I want others to know that they don’t need to fear the Corona Virus. If they have trusted in Jesus as their Savior, their place in heaven is secure. Who are the lost and fearful in your sphere of influence? How can you use the tools God has given us to show them God’s love today?
