Here L. Roy Taylor, stated clerk of the PCA, considers the Christian’s hope in this pandemic.
In 1990, we knew that war with Iraq was imminent when preparations for Operation Desert Shield began. Then the war itself, code-named Operation Desert Storm, began in January 1991 and was over within a few weeks. I was pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, at that time. The Sunday following the beginning of the Gulf War, I interrupted my series of sermons and preached on Psalm 46, “When War Comes.” Churches were full the Sunday after the war began and for a few months afterward. War, pestilence, and natural disasters cause us to feel powerless, alone, and afraid.
It is natural for Christians to turn to the Psalms when we are in despair or at the heights of adoration and joy. I have noted that a number of PCA pastors have preached on the Psalms since so many churches have had to do virtual services via webcasts or podcasts. The favorite choices seem to be Psalms 16, 18, 23, 34, 37, 46, and 91.
The coronavirus crisis happened more quickly than the first Gulf War. At least during the George H.W. Bush administration, we knew that war was likely. The coronavirus crisis spread from Wuhan in China to hundreds of countries within just a few months. At first people did not take the threat to public health seriously, which resulted in more infections and deaths. Not only were people becoming ill and dying, but we also had hospitals overwhelmed, health care personnel, first responders, and grocery workers risking their lives to serve the public, schools closing, panic buying, a booming economy quickly shrinking, unemployment skyrocketing, restaurants shifting to takeout only, businesses curtailing or closing, sporting events and entire seasons postponed, churches unable to meet for in-person worship, and denominational gatherings canceled.
When plagues, natural disasters, and wars occur, not only do people engage in self-sacrificial efforts to help their fellow human beings, but also individual Christians, groups of Christians, and the church as the body of Christ in this world show the compassion of Christ in Matthew-25 acts of service. Compassion for suffering people was the most frequently displayed emotion of Christ in His earthly ministry, as B.B. Warfield pointed out in his article “The Emotional Life of Our Lord.”
Let me suggest just a few opportunities Christians have in this coronavirus crisis.
When plagues, natural disasters, and wars occur, not only do people engage in self-sacrificial efforts to help their fellow human beings, but the body of Christ shows the compassion of Christ in acts of service.
Show the compassion of Christ concretely in acts of service. Early Christians served not only fellow believers but also nonbelievers by providing for widows, caring for the sick, ministering to prisoners, and uplifting the outcasts and marginalized. Churches, Christian organizations, and Christians are serving senior citizens by such things as getting groceries and picking up prescriptions. The Salvation Army and Samaritan’s Purse are providing food, medicine, and field hospitals. As in the Great Recession of 2008, churches are helping people find new jobs or retooling people for different jobs. This is an opportunity for diaconal ministries of mercy.
Share the gospel explicitly. We display the love of Christ in deeds of compassion. Nevertheless, people need to hear and understand the Good News of Christ before they can exercise faith in Christ. The coronavirus crisis has demonstrated how fragile and uncertain life is. Large-scale turnings to Christ often occur in times of pestilence, natural disasters, and war. This is an opportunity for evangelism.
Be creative and innovative. Paul said, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means, I may save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). He went back to Tarsus for more than a decade after his conversion on the Damascus road. Some New Testament scholars believe that Paul used those years in Tarsus to prepare himself to become the apostle to the Gentiles. We may not be known for our creativity and innovation, but we can rise to the occasion and adapt to the “new normal” that this crisis has created. This is an opportunity for creative and innovative means of sharing the gospel in both word and deed.
L. Roy Taylor is the stated clerk of the PCA General Assembly.