When the World Seems to be on the Brink

Psalm 46; Matthew 6:25-34 ESV

A sermon delivered by the Rev. Dr. Randy K. Hammer on Mar. 15, 2020

“We will not fear though the earth gives way. . .” Psalm 46:2

“Do not be anxious about your life.” Matthew 6:25

The world is a much different place today than it was last Sunday when we last met here.  We have seen the coronavirus spread like wildfire in some countries of the world, taking its toll on many lives.  We have seen the Stock Market plunge to its lowest levels in decades.  We have seen borderline mass hysteria, as frantic shoppers have emptied some shelves at big box stores, grocery stores, Walmart, and other places.  We have seen numerous college and universities empty their dormitories, telling students, “We will see you next fall.”  And we have heard of many area churches cancelling services in advance of the virus making its appearance here.

We are all concerned about the coronavirus, as we watch the nightly world news and witness the agony, separation of families, and death toll the virus is taking in places like Italy.  Of course, all of us are concerned, if not for our own safety, then for our friends and relatives who may be medically fragile, have other underlying health issues, or are at higher risk for some other reason.  We are very concerned about our loved ones with a compromised, weak immune system, that they don’t contract the coronavirus, when the most common virus can affect them greatly.

Many of us have cringed as the Stock Market has plummeted, wiping out (on paper, at least) what we had hoped to retire on. 

Encouraged by loved ones and the news reports to stock up on groceries and household necessities in case we are quarantined and can’t get out for a few weeks, I stopped by Walmart and Kroger on Thursday afternoon, and in some respects it was chaos.  The entire row where bathroom tissue usually is to be found was completely empty.  Likewise, the shelf where bleach usually is - empty.  There was no alcohol, no sanitizing wipes, no hand sanitizer, and the like.  I found the same situation at Kroger.  While putting my items on the conveyer belt at Walmart, an acquaintance got in line behind me and spoke to me.  And my reply was, “I guess we are preparing for the Apocalypse.”

Friday morning, I went to Food City and found almost the same situation.  I did find one small bottle of Clorox bleach.  And I stopped by Kroger again to try to find some things I missed on Thursday.  And it just so happened that one of the employees stocking the shelves brought out a pallet of Kroger brand bathroom tissue, and the packages were flying off the pallet before he could even stack them in the shelves.  And the dried beans and rice shelves? Completely bare.

Well, in light of all of this, and the fact that a number of area churches have already closed their doors for some weeks, I felt that the sermon I had prepared for today might have seemed to be somewhat trivial, or out of touch to say the least.  So, Friday evening and yesterday, I quickly put together some thoughts that seemed more appropriate for today, a time when it seems like our world may be on the brink of giving way, as the psalmist put it.

Now, I certainly don’t want to come across today as offering clichéd, trite, or shallow answers.  The situations we face – the Coronavirus, the uncertainty of the Stock Market, and so on – are issues for all of us to be concerned about.  But there are some bullet points that seem worth our consideration over the coming weeks:

We certainly need to be vigilant and cautious, but try to avoid hysteria.  Some may have thought that my email earlier in the week about safe practices, such as being diligent to wash our hands, use hand sanitizer often, change the way we greet one another at church, and so on was over the top.  Well, now maybe not so much so.  We do need to be very careful about the way we interact with one another and the things we do at church or anywhere else we might go in the community. 

Our response to the coronavirus crisis will be a topic for discussion at this week’s board meeting.  We likely will decide to follow the lead of other area churches and cancel some or all church activities for a time, until the coronavirus threat has passed.  One of the issues is one can be a carrier of the coronavirus and not be sick.  The virus can live on surfaces such as doorknobs, coffee urns, and playground equipment for about three days and be picked up by our hands and deposited somewhere else. 

But should we decide to cancel any or all church activities, we will try to find alternative ways to share mediations and sermons with our members.

If we do decide to cancel some or all services for a time, we need to bear in mind how important community is to all of us, and to some, perhaps, more than others.  For some of our members, Sunday morning or Wednesday evening may be the only experience of human in-person relationships or experience of community they know.  So, we also need to be careful about not making people – especially those who are single and live alone – feel isolated or forgotten.    We are going to have to take steps to keep in touch with one another, such as more frequent telephone calls to check in on our members, more thinking of you cards in the mail, perhaps home wellness checks to drop off food or medications, even if we stay at the front door.  We need to keep check on one another, and if someone in the church is in need, they should let the church office know. 

One of the possible negative results of cancelling all church services and activities is the emotional toll it can take on some members who really need this faith community.  Such could lead to loneliness, a sense of isolation, and despair in some, especially those who live alone.  So we have to take steps to make sure no one feels isolated or alone.   We don’t know how long this crisis will last.  Some experts have suggested it could last for three to eight weeks.  During this time, we need to find a way to maintain the wonderful sense of community we know here.

During these coming weeks, we need to let both our faith and our reason guide us.  “Do not be anxious,” we have heard Jesus say – do not be anxious about what you will eat, drink, or the clothes you will wear.  We may need one or two packages of bathroom tissue, and we may need a few bags of dried beans and rice, but we certainly don’t need a shopping car full, depriving someone else who comes behind us who may be in real need.  We need to prepare, but we also need to be reasonable, I think.  We need to be cautious, but caring; careful, but compassionate.

As the psalmist of old reminds us, people of faith have faced crises many times before when it looked as though the earth or world was on the brink of collapse or giving way.  “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,” the psalmist assures.  “Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way” (Psalm 46:1-2).  So, we will hold onto our faith, and our connections in this faith community, as best we can during these uncertain times as a foundation beneath us.

At the same time, we need to let our best reason guide us and try to not be overly anxious about things we cannot change by worrying about them, and be careful of not going to extremes and getting hysterical about things, such as how many packages of bathroom tissue we need to stock up on.  “Do not be anxious about your life,” Jesus counsels.

The words of the psalmist and the words of Jesus are words to hold close during the uncertain days of life, like we now face. So, faith, and our faith connections, as a foundation beneath us.  And reason as a force to guide us.  May it be so.  Amen.