The Best News of the Day

Today, the best news of the day was COVID vaccine trials will begin shortly on three potential medications which could prevent infection with COVID-19. At a death toll in the US reaching 135,000 and deaths in Texas exceeding 2,943, it is time for some good news. And no there is no evidence doctors are listing COVID as the cause of death to get paid more. That is a foolish conspiracy theory with no basis in fact which is generally true for conspiracy theories. Generally such murmuring are short on facts and long on paranoia. The general rule is “Someone is out to get us/control us/ exploit us.” You can take your pick. More reasonable thinking people realize such notions are flights of fancy.

It is tragic this COVID pandemic has gotten tangled up in politics and as a result has caused more carelessness and deaths than if it were something straight forward like polio. No one looking a child stricken with polio would say, “It's only a childhood sickness.” Yet time and time again I have heard people infer it is only the “flu.” The problem is this past flu season killed between 24,000-62,000 in the and our first wave of COVID(five months)has killed 135,000 people. So, “No it is not the flu.” We are also beginning to see that even some who recover from a “mild” case of COVID are left with life long debilitating symptoms which will follow them to the grave. Confusing the issue is that the corona virus is a cluster virus that has been around for many years. The common cold is a corona virus, however the COVID-19 is new in the sense it has broken out into the human population. The novel coronavirus is a zoonotic disease, meaning an infection that can jump between different species."Both SARS and MERS are examples of viruses that came from mother nature. In the case of SARS, scientists believe the virus came from a bat then went to a civet cat, and then infected humans. In the case of MERS, they believe the intermediary animal was a camel. (information borrowed) At this point, I am not sure it is important where it came from, but how can it be stopped. This is a pernicious virus which strikes hard the most vulnerable but also leaves a swath of health issues behind in people of all ages. More than that, it may be the first time a virus like this has put at risk so many care givers like physicians, nurses, hospital employees, first responders and others on the front lines of fighting this pandemic.

It is for that reason, we need to find our place in helping our country move beyond this pandemic. Of course God's people need to pray asking God for solutions and treatment protocols which will save lives. God's people also need to find ways to worship when these times keep us from being inside the church house. It is an uneasy accommodation to sit on your couch listening to your pastor on FB or a website, but it should make us more hungry for the fellowship of believers we might have so easily taken for granted. Personally, I yearn for the crowded halls and tight spaces in our worship center as we gather in to worship together. I yearn to hear the people of God sing the songs of praise that are so essential for our worship. I yearn to be with people as we pray together and interestingly enough—listen together to the Word of God shared by the pastor. I have recently come to appreciate the corporate act of listening as the Word of God was set forth to the people. I never had thought of that bond among believers before.

Whatever unfolds, believers need to be a part of solutions. These are unusual times. People cut off from human contact not getting out because they are afraid need someone not just to care but to make contact. Anxious folks need to be in contact with non-anxious folks to help them settle down. The depressed need to know someone cares. Our church leaders need special measures of grace because they have forced to do “church” in entirely different ways than previously done. In the past, streaming was an adjunct to the people present in worship experience. Now, for most churches it is the new normal but we struggle to accept that as normal.

I believe Christians have a unique opportunity to live out loud our faith. We have the opportunity to be kind, to be gracious, to be hopeful, to be intentional, to be magnanimous, to everyone we meet. I am not sure in my adult years, I have ever seen a culture and society under such stress. The adjustments we are making are not easy and not without frustration. Those of us who take this virus seriously know our loved ones of any age can be in contact and even fall ill to this disease which could have life long consequences.

At the same time, we are seeing civil unrest mostly peaceful demanding equal rights long withheld and long overdue for people of color. Some of us are taking the opportunity to educate ourselves in the struggles and complaints of people of color so that we might move forward together. Having lived and worked with African Americans my whole life, I am learning how things look from their perspective and I find myself ashamed at my insensitivity and ignorance.

So, from my vantage point, that is where we are at this time in America. I will say I was born into the American family in Odessa, Texas. Saying that does not mean at some point in the past I forget my linage were immigrants. I am proud of America(mostly) and believe in the ideals of this nation however unfulfilled as they are for all. Having traveled the world with my bride or a mission team, I have been in many countries but never found even one that reflected the hopes and dreams of America. I believe we can have a bright future if we face our past sins, ask forgiveness and move forward together. We can have a bright future is we as believers understand it is not about America, it is about the Church which needs to repent, return to God, and seek Him. When that has happened, the kind of social concerns we have melt away without stacking the courts, gerrymandering congressional districts, and manipulating elections to our favor. America will only be as moral, as courageous, and virtuous as the Church of the Living God is. That is the long and the short of it.

Wash your hands, wear your masks in consideration for your neighbor, mind the gap, and be kind.