Faith in a Time of Terror

The Sea Island Chapel Pulpit

“Faith in a Time of Terror”

Robert U. Ferguson, Jr., Ph.d.

March 28, 2020

As we conclude our second week of “quarantine” at Sea Island Chapel we all have come to realize the magnitude of the enemy before us.  Covid 19 is far more deadly and difficult to control than we have ever dreamed possible.  As much as we each and all hope that this virus will run its course in a week or two, we now know that barring some unforeseen miracle this will not be the case.  Life for most of us will be months in returning to “normal” — if it ever does.  For some, those unfortunate who have contracted Covid 19, life will never be the same.  Some will lose their life because of this virus.  Others will survive, but they will still be impacted in known and unknown ways.  There will be, for all of us, a “new normal” in virtually every way.

As followers of Jesus Christ, how ought we to respond to this pandemic and the fear and even horror it is, has and will wreaked upon humankind?  In what ways can and will our Lord use this incredibly evil event for good?

1. Let us use this time to live with a “we” rather than a “me” focus.  Our political leaders have asked us to stay home as much as possible so as to flatten the curve, i.e., slow if not stop the process of infection.  As followers of Jesus Christ we proclaim God’s love for each and all of us.  Each human being is created in the imago dei (the image of God) — and as such is of infinite worth and value.  

A theological/spiritual leader, Abraham Joshua Heschel, once said: “The principle to be kept in mind is to know what we see rather than to see what we know.”  So often as we “look” at the world we only see what our preformed beliefs allow us to see.  My deepest belief is that as followers of Jesus we are called upon to “see as Jesus sees” — not an easy matter in the best of scenarios, much less in a pandemic.  When we remember how Jesus “saw” the “least of these” — as defined by the culture/society of his day — we realize that Jesus saw each person as bearing this image of God and therefore loved by God. There are no “expendable” persons; we are all loved by God and should be loved by one another.  If our “self-quarantine” can spare one person the horror of Covid 19, then we ought to do so.  The question is not “What is best for me?”  The question is rather, “What is best for our community and world? How can I act in love and grace toward all — not just those who are close to me?”

1. Let us use this time to reflect upon how our faith and belief in God is calling us to action.   There is no doubt that moments such as these can and will try our faith.  We proclaim belief that “God is control” — but the reality is that right now, the opposite seems apparent to us. Human suffering on such a scale as this challenges every facet of our faith.  This is especially true if we believe that God is our cosmic butler who exists to meet our every whim and desire.  However, if we believe that we exist to serve a loving God who walks with us through even the darkest of the nights, then we will come to an entirely different question and answer.  

The question is not “where is God?”  The question is “where are we — and how are we responding to the horror before us?  We claim to believe that “in all things God works together for those who love him, who are called according to God’s purpose.” (Romans 8: 28)  How then are we joining together in showing to our world the face of our Lord?  The God I know and love is a God of purposeful work…who calls each of us to be about building the Kingdom.  God is not an “uninvolved and distant by-stander, but a God intimately involved in all we say and do.

1. Let us use this time to pray, seeking the face of God.  Our lives are often so busy that we barely pause to pray, substituting a blessing at a meal for deep and fervent prayer.  Now that we are given a gift of time, why not spend more of it listening to God?  Genuine, authentic prayer is not as much about our telling God what we want God to do — as if God did not know — as it is listening to the Spirit of God as God communes with us.  What does God really want to say to us?  In Luke 11: 5-13 Jesus calls upon his followers to pray, knowing that as we pray God will answer our prayer.  God is longing to commune with us — if only we will pause and listen!!!

So, let’s do the right thing — employ safe health practices; listen to our leaders and heed their advice/guidance; open our hearts and minds to our Lord Jesus Christ who calls us to use both in loving and serving Him.  Remember: even when we cannot gather, we are still the church.  The church of Jesus never closes!!

Amen.