COVID-19: This Isn't the First Time God's People Have Had to Do Things Differently

This Isn’t the First Time God’s People Have Had to Do Things Differently

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;    his understanding is unsearchable.
--Isaiah 40:28 NRSV

In this time when church people are separated from one another due to COVID-19, it’s worth remembering that this is not the first time the people of God have had to radically adjust the way they do things due to catastrophe. Early Christians at times had to relocate themselves to other cities or regions due to persecution.  They met in the homes of fellow Christians, sometimes in secret, because they were a new movement without respect or recognition by those in power. The history of Israel in the Bible gives us stories of how the Jewish people survived the destruction of their temple, not once but twice, by invading armies who made slaves of many of them and scattered them throughout the nations. Down through the centuries, people of faith have adjusted, reimagined and revolutionized the practice of their faith during catastrophic times.

In the verse above, a prophet offers a reminder to God’s people that God is bigger than the painful circumstances they find themselves in. Biblical scholars believe what we call the book of Isaiah was not written by a single author named Isaiah but written over two hundred years’ time by Isaiah or his followers writing in his name.  The section comprised of chapters 40-55 (often called Second Isaiah) takes place when the politics of the region changed and it became possible for Jewish people to return home after generations of exile.  The prospect of a new sort of life seemed unbelievable. Into this time of doubt and despair, the prophet reminds his listeners that God is capable of making new things out of bad circumstances. Hope is possible, because God is still the Creator of the universe and God is creating still.

As we struggle with how to stay connected as a church and how to manage our own stress during this difficult time, a beginning point can be for us to remember the stories of God’s people making it through difficult times in the past. We can focus on the greatness of God and hold out hope for the future as we dream new dreams and think of new ways of doing things.

This past Sunday an elder at the church I'm serving offered the following prayer which he had found on-line.  It is a wonderful prayer for us to pray as in our churches together and as individuals.  

A Prayer for Our Uncertain Times

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 and 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 who have no safe 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.

As fear grips our country, let us choose love.

And during this time when we may not be able to physically wrap our arms around each other, let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors.  Amen.

- Submitted by Fr. Michael Graham, S.J.

My ideas in this post were inspired by an interview with Samuel Boyd is assistant professor of Religious Studies and Jewish Studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder on an episode of the NPR show On the Media.