The Church and Coronavirus

Yesterday after church, we greeted each other differently. There were more knuckle and elbow bounces than kissing and shaking hands. Some churches are encouraging no physical contact – bowing to each other is preferred. This rapidly spreading coronavirus is responsible for these innovative forms of greeting each other during and after corporate gatherings.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person; between persons who are within about six feet (183 cm) of each other. We understand it is also spread through droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can enter via the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.

We understand that the virus that causes COVID-19 seems to be spreading easily and sustainably in communities in some affected geographic areas. Community spread means people can be infected with the virus in an area. Infection is also possible by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching your own mouth, nose, or possibly your eyes.

With these possibilities of infection, church people are most susceptible. Our communities are diverse and specifically welcoming to unsuspecting victims. We often greet visitors with warm embraces. We sit on pews with persons we do not know. We often share hymnals and sing enthusiastically in our worship services.

But how can I tell who has the coronavirus? Health officials caution that healthy persons who contract the virus may not even know that they have the virus. Some of these will heal without treatment. However, for persons with underlying health conditions, particularly lung and heart, the impact of the virus can be very severe. https://www.foxnews.com/health/coronavirus-everything-you-need-to-know

Some churches have discontinued the practice of placing wafers on the tongues of parishioners during communion. I know of one church that intends to discontinue the practice of allowing worshippers to pinch from one loaf of bread during communion. The new plan is to cut bread into cubes. This will ensure that the only cube you touch, is the one you will use. I hope churches which practice sharing wine or grape juice from one container, will rethink this practice.

Personally, I believe our surroundings should be sanitized more frequently and more meticulously. We should wash our hands with soap more thoroughly. Hand sanitizers should be made available at entry points to our sanctuaries. Officiating ministers should use hand sanitizers before dedicating babies, serving communion or engaging in any ritual that requires physical contact.

In addition to proceeding with care, COVID-19 provides us with a number of opportunities. One such opportunity includes reflecting on the apparent sacredness we attach to the methods we use in worship. For instance, some of the methods we use to serve communion are not hygienic. Sharing chalices for example, may be considered sacred, but is the practice hygienically safe?

Some believe Christians are safe from COVID-19 in sacred places because God promised to heal “all your diseases” (Psalm 103:3). I find it amazing to see how we so often ignore biblical contexts and interpret Scripture conveniently. Psalm 103 is an invitation to praise the Lord for “all his benefits.” Some of these include his ability to “forgive all your sins” and to “heal all your diseases.”

The thought here is that it is proper to praise God that he has the power or ability to forgive all our sins and to heal all our diseases. God’s ability to forgive and to heal does not mean that we should have no sins or diseases. Neither does it mean that God is obligated to forgive every sin and to heal every disease. Instances of forgiveness and healing of diseases are illustrations of God’s ability, not responses to an obligation to forgive and to heal.

The question is one of how God chooses to heal our diseases. Sometimes God interrupts the forces of nature and heals directly. More often, God enables skilled persons to utilize their skills to bring about healing. Using that method, we partner with God in the process of healing diseases.

The Bible often refers to human beings as “God’s fellow workers” or partners in what He is seeking to accomplish. Because of this understanding of Scripture, I pray specifically for medical researches and epidemiologists. I also pray for persons who are most susceptible to COVID-19. Interestingly, I also pray against those who exploit the situation. Like persons who increase the cost of hand sanitizers or those who dilute the ingredients in order to exploit the vulnerable.

Agreed, COVID-19 is a goliath-sized global epidemic. However, our God is able to equip persons to deal with Goliaths, just as he equipped David in the Bible (1 Samuel 17). David’s faith in God, the availability of stones and David’s ability as a skilled marksman, were all used to bring down the Philistine giant. A similar combination is necessary to destroy COVID-19, our goliath-sized global epidemic.