Jesus won't save you from Coronavirus, just from yourself

Coronavirus has shown just how easy it is to take down the human species. We are fragile beings. Our health is fragile. Our relationship with the earth is fragile. Our relationship with each other is fragile. We live in fear of not having enough. We live in fear of our evident mortality. I believe much of this fear is generated by the realisation that we have been living a lie our entire lives; the lie being that our life is significant and we are entitled to live long, happy and healthy. The reality is, we deserve nothing of the kind. Coronavirus is showing us that life is a lottery. We are one illness away from no longer being here. In the midst of this disease, we hold zero bargaining chips. We are powerless over our life and the lives of others.

Religion thrives in the midst of fear. The fear of death is often an impetus for people to turn their life over to a higher power, especially when the reward for doing so is the eternal preservation of the very life they fear losing. Preachers have long used the fear of death and hell as a means to call people to repent of their sins and accept Jesus. As we see the virus spreading and the number of deaths rising, Coronavirus has become a tangible reality of just how close death is to all of us. However, faith grounded in fear only works when there is something to be afraid of. What becomes of faith when people stop believing in hell, or in the case of Coronavirus, when the pandemic is over?

In the Bible, in John's first letter, we read these words:

"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them... There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love" (1 John 4:16-18)

I once professed a faith grounded in fear; the fear of hell and the fear of losing my life forever. Yet today I do not profess a faith like this. I do not follow Jesus because I fear going to hell. I came back to my faith because I saw in Jesus a different way to live. I had become deeply dissatisfied with how I was living. I did not want to live in fear any longer. In Jesus, I saw the potential to be radically different. I wanted to turn away from the self-absorbed behaviour in my life. I wanted to escape the mental hell I was in. My life had become unmanageable. I needed a higher power to save me from myself.

There is much fear and uncertainty around Coronavirus, but when people stock-pile food and medical resources, or price-gouge items online, I see exactly the kind of behaviour I do not want to emulate. I do not want to live in fear. I do not want to be selfish and take advantage of others in their time of greatest need. Instead, I want to be more like Jesus. He taught us to wash and be clean for the sake of others (John 13:1-17), to be grateful for what each day brings and not worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:25-34). He cautioned us against stockpiling (Luke 12:16-21). He taught us the importance of loving our neighbour as much as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40). He showed that a life invested in love for all is a life free from fear. As such, I want to be more like him; like the one who turned the world's values upside-down. In this time when some people's lives are at stake and their personal needs great, I want our precious world's resources to be shared amongst many, not hoarded by the few. Jesus won't save you from Coronavirus, but he can save you from yourself.

A prayer

May we who are merely inconvenienced
Remember those whose lives are at stake.
May we who have no risk factors
Remember those most vulnerable.
May we who have the luxury of working from home
Remember those who must choose between preserving their health or making their rent.
May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close
Remember those who have no options.
May we who have to cancel our trips
Remember those that have no place to go.
May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market
Remember those who have no margin at all.
May we who settle in for a quarantine at home
Remember those who have no home.
During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other,
Let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors. 
Amen

(Author Unknown)