Sermon in the time of Covid-19
Tyler Bold, MD PhD, infectious disease and the Reverend Joy Caires
Tyler’s words are Bold (pun intended).
Lectionary page with Lent 3 scripture is here
Since the beginning of this year, we in America and in Minnesota, have been fortunate to only observe from a distance what is happening with Covid-19, praying for the health of those affected and for the wisdom of those whose actions can make the biggest difference in the trajectory of this outbreak.
The news seemed far away. A disease affecting those people in that place. So, we prayed for them…those who are not here and whose deaths we will not know to mourn. We shook hands, we embraced, we took our collective breaths and said our collective prayers. We sang our songs, we shared our meals…we did not know.
In the past 2 weeks, however, we have transitioned from spectators to participants in this pandemic.
I made signs for the doors of the church yesterday, Building closed for worship and all other gatherings. I chose my words carefully. The building is closed, the church is not. The church cannot close. The church is us, the church is us in prayer, regardless of proximity, the church is us the body of Christ. A body that transcends time and space. The church is not and will never be closed.
The building is closed. We are not.
And, today, as the church, we are working to save lives. To save lives by staying home.
The 2 most important things we can do now are to protect the most vulnerable people in our communities, and to reduce the rate of transmission.
The collect for the third Sunday in Lent, for today begins, “Almighty God, you know we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves”. We have no power in ourselves to help ourselves. This is reality, we cannot help ourselves ALONE. But, together as the Body of Christ in the world—we can help the world. This is in our power as Christians, as the people of God, to stand in body and spirit between suffering and the vulnerable people in our communities.
Older people, and those with underlying medical conditions, are particularly vulnerable to this infection. Because not everyone who is contagious shows overt signs of disease, we must particularly consider how our individual and communal actions affect the most susceptible of those around us. We must all do our part to prevent these people from being exposed.
We must. We must do our part. Our part to seek and serve Christ in all persons. Our part to honor the dignity of every human being. Our part.
Some will think we are overreacting. Some will say that closing our buildings is tantamount to a betrayal of God. I would and WILL counter—our buildings are closed, the church is not. And, we are praying together, we are acting together, we are remembering our ancestors and taking our part in the communion of saints. We are doing ALL of this, but without gathering in groups—and this is HARD. It is a change to our habits, our practices, and our general understanding of what it means to be a community. But, we are Christians and this moment of suffering can and will bring hope for the future.
So, I enjoin you CANCEL EVERYTHING. Gathering in groups, no matter the reason, puts members of your community at risk. I have already heard from folk about their plans to gather in groups for prayer. Please, reconsider. What seems an act of faithfulness puts your neighbors, friends, and communities at risk. I hate saying this, I hate that we have come to this. But, this is part of what is being asked of us, as Christians.
Hear the words of our ancestor Paul, “we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”
The Holy Spirit has been given to us. Paul Tillich described the Spirit as the unitive being, the person of the Trinity that unites us to God, to Christ and to each other across all time and space. God is not limited by the walls of the building and we are united!
We are united in action because,
Although 21 cases in our state may not seem like many, I tend to think of this figure as a blurry image of the past. It is imprecise, since our limited capacity for diagnostic testing obscures the true number of cases in our communities. And, just as the light from the Sun is 8 minutes old when it reaches the Earth, these case numbers really reflect the consequences of our community behaviors and decisions from 2-3 weeks ago.
2-3 weeks ago…2-3 years…20-30 years…200-300 years…2000 years. What is happening now reflects all of history. The decisions made, the stories told, the lives lived—and so, here we are.
Here we are, in the wilderness of this season, knowing our past and accepting the responsibility of the power we have to shape the future of all creation.
Because, the decisions we make today will impact the course of this disease over the next 2-3 weeks.
The decisions we make today…will impact all of our tomorrows.
We must also act now to ensure that we can provide optimal care for all those who do become sick. If too many are afflicted at the same time, this will not be possible. This concept of “flattening the curve” underpins the many efforts towards “social distancing” you have seen in the past week, including the closure of our own building. This strategy is an essential way to slow transmission rates and enable our healthcare system to accomplish this goal.
We have no power in ourselves to help ourselves—and, at the same time, we have the power to save the world entire! Assume this mantle of power. Feel the presence of the Spirit. Remember, you are part of the communion of saints—that great communion of the past and present and the yet to come.
You are not alone. You are not now, and will never be alone. God abides in you—and no matter where we are in our physical bodies, nothing can separate us from each other and from the love of God which unites us.
“I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”
Good people of God, we have entered into the labor. We can and will make sacrifices so that others may live. We can and will make choices that will change the world. We can and will, with God’s help, take our part.
The 2 most important things we can do now, are to protect the most vulnerable people in our communities, and to reduce the rate of transmission.
This means…
- Wash your hands with soap and water frequently and thoroughly, for at least 20 seconds at a time
- Avoid touching your face
- Do not gather with others, in groups either large or small
- If you must gather with others, do all that you can to avoid close contact, maintaining a distance of 6 feet, or 2 arms’ lengths
- Avoid public spaces where people may come into close contact
- Cancel all travel
- Work from home if possible
- As weather permits, it is safe to be outdoors, as long as this does not involve close contact with others
- If you have ANY symptoms of cough, sore throat, fever, body aches, headache, or diarrhea, stay at home and keep to yourself
- If symptoms persist for 48 hours, CALL your doctor to discuss the availability and need for testing
- Do NOT go to a clinic or emergency room unless directed to by a healthcare provider, or it is truly an emergency
Public health demands our health as the Body of Christ. Keeping these directives in mind, let us pray,
Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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