Dear Saints
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
As matters in the world are developing quickly around the coronavirus Covid-19, the leadership of Jubilee wanted to address our church community with a few principles and several applications along with some counsel at this time. Please take time to read this thoroughly.
The Covid-19 outbreak is a rapidly changing and developing situation in our world today and one with which we need to stay current and in good communication. I have spent a good bit of time this week in trying to sort through the hype and overreactions in order to find good data from which we can make wise decisions that will glorify God. I counseled with a fairly broad group throughout the week and read a good bit of material about how this virus is affecting the world and our immediate culture around us.
As it turns out, while this is a serious and apparently threatening event, it is also a great opportunity for us to see God shine forth in glory. It is also an opportunity for us, His people, to reset some of our ways and our thinking. Though we do not relish the difficult trial this virus is causing, God is sovereign and, in ways known to Him, this is a good thing for God’s people and the Church, even when the ‘goodness’ is not yet clearly understood.we are today, let me remind us of a few principles that will help us. Please take time to read this in full so we will all be on the same page including some measures I will get to toward the end.
I. Biblical Principles and Applications to Govern our Spirits
1. God is sovereign and in control of this situation. He has a purpose behind this virus and He will be glorified. Everything God does is for the good of His people. The Psalmist clearly declares, “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You!” (Psalm 84:11-12) This is a time to soak in the Psalms and allow God to encourage you in His promises and in the Truth of Who He is. This is about Him more than about us!
2. This is a time to love, and not to fear. “Perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). This biblical love is what sets God’s people apart from the rest of the world. “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) Love will be expressed in sacrificial service. Some of you will be called to the front lines of this viral war. In doing so, do it as unto the Lord serving the Lord gladly. Others will be called on to help the elderly and those who are weak. We are all called and saved to love God, to love our neighbor, and to love one another. The more you love, the more fear is driven out. During the terrorist crisis, we often said, “don’t do THIS or the terrorists will win.” Our enemy this time is the broken creation, AND our enemy is fear itself. Don’t let fear win. Especially when Christ has already assured us of His victory.
3. This is a time to pray, repent, and be grateful to God. “Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-- meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:5-8). During the coming weeks God will likely show us ways in which we can repent of sins, perhaps some of which we were not even aware. Hopefully, this will be a time of reflection, of putting things in perspective and a time of great spiritual growth. As we pull together in greater community to serve one another we will see more clearly our past faults and negligence, our ungrateful hearts, and our prideful self-reliant presumptions. Hopefully, we will see how much we need one another to the extent that we become more thankful for our community and every individual member that makes it up. Rather than gossiping and fault finding with one another’s weaknesses, or criticism for how ‘they’ are dealing with the crisis, instead we can be thankful for the good and strength each member has and brings. Rather than being so wasteful with the material goods we’ve grown used to, let us learn how to be better stewards and less wasteful of the things we do have and have previously taken for granted. Even, for example the tendency to hoard might be seen as selfishness and therefore needs to be avoided.
II. Current Update and Status Report of the Coronavirus COVID-19
Dr. Matthew Clark (a CPC elder in South Carolina) has been watching epidemics and studying them as a point of personal fascination for over 20 years. He sent an email to the CPC elders, and I thought his comments worth passing on to all of us.
[From Matt’s email]
Today’s study has brought me to today’s conclusions . . . This coronavirus pandemic, if the reports are not fabricated, is by far the most significant global public health episode since the 1918 influenza pandemic.
The best info I can get my hands on:
1. This disease is very contagious. Worse than seasonal influenza but not as bad as measles. Over the course of time, without an effective vaccine, most of the population will be infected, guesses are around 50-60%.
2. The United States has failed to contain this virus. Community spread is underway. The cat is out of the bag.
3. High risk of death is amongst the elderly and also those with underlying medical problems. This virus is not as dangerous for the young and healthy. While the overall case fatality rate is between 2-4%, that number is much, much lower for the young and healthy and much higher for the elderly and the sick. (14.8% in patients aged ≥80 years; 8.0% in patients aged 70-79 years; 60-69 years of age (3.5%) Under 60 years of age (less than 1%).
Case fatality rate was elevated among those with preexisting comorbid conditions—10.5% for cardiovascular disease, 7.3% for diabetes, 6.3% for chronic respiratory disease, 6.0% for hypertension, and 5.6% for cancer. And, In Italy, where the death toll from the virus stood at 52 as of March 4, the fatalities were all in people over age 60.)
4. Total societal lock-down stopped the disease in China and other eastern jurisdictions with experience with SARS from the past. Such lock-down is underway in Italy.
5. The economic and social and political impacts of societal lock-down are mostly negative and unpredictable.
6. The American health care system will be unable to care for all these severely ill folks if they hit the hospitals all at once.
My Conclusions at this point:
1. Total societal lock-down including cancellation of Christian worship is NOT necessary to avoid deaths.
2. Loving shepherding instruction of the church, helping everyone to see the wisdom of the elderly and the sick staying home and allowing the young and the healthy to watch after their needs until things settle down. But, this will be a voluntary decision for each individual and family.
3. Public Christian worship goes on. Using technology will be temporarily acceptable for live streaming the worship.
4. Stay home if you’ve had fever with respiratory symptoms within the last 14 days.
5. Considering cancelling all other Foothills activities at this time, other than worship, until things calm down. Considering…
III. So What?
Remembering that the situation IS fluid, but being guided by the above thoughts, Jubilee is proceeding along these lines:
We plan, as usual, to Worship the One True Living God tomorrow, the Lord’s Day, 15 March. Our Prayer Meeting is planned for 10 am, and our Service of Worship for 11 am.
While this is a ‘topical’ sermon (shudder,) the sermon will be based on Romans 12:1,2; James 5:13-15; I Samuel 7:7-13 and will address a Biblical perspective guiding our reaction to Covid-19.
When you arrive at Jubilee, please wash your hands. When you leave, please wash your hands. This is an added step to our morning, and I trust you understand the value.
If you are ill, or experiencing symptoms… stay home, of course.
As we spend time together in an enclosed space, be aware of the medical advice to keep a reasonable distance between us. Let’s not hug, let’s not shake hands, let’s not embrace. Let’s stay the recommended five feet from each other. Including in the sanctuary. We have plenty of room to spread out, and use those pews that we never sit in. (Families can, of course, sit together.)
At this point, JubiWednesday will continue. However, if you are a regular attender and are not coming, please let me know so I can prepare the right amount of food. (Or if you are planning to visit <hooray!> let me know so I can prepare the right amount of food.) This might change in our fluid situation, AND as the grocery store runs out of raw ingredients.
If you believe the threat of Covid-19 should keep you home, please know that the rest of us honor your decision. We will miss you, AND I am working on some way to stream our worship time. But not this week, yet.
Let us pray, and pray, and pray, and be open to opportunities for service that the Lord will be placing before us. (I’ll be talking about some of these that have already come before us tomorrow.)
These things are being done ‘for now.’ As circumstances change, our reaction necessarily will change. But I hope this is a good beginning.
C.S. Lewis wrote, in a different era, with a different threat: “The first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb, when it comes, find us doing sensible and human things -- praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts -- not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs.”
So… I hope to see you tomorrow!
In Christ
Tom