THE PANDEMIC. HYPOCRISY, MOVING FORWARD

I’ve been ordained for almost 50 years.  Thought I had heard and seen almost everything.  Then the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic hits. I have more to learn.

You know the routine.  The CDC says we should ‘shelter in place’.  States and Counties say we must.  None of us really like it but we do prefer life over death. We resign ourselves to the reality.  

We all get restless and start moving around.  After all.  I haven’t died yet.  Bars and restaurants and beaches fill up with people. Then some religious leaders feel left out so they celebrate indoor religious services as a ‘God given Right’ to congregate shoulder to shoulder inside. They answer to a higher power ‘in the sky’.  (We all do of course.) Churches finally have something in common with bars and indoor parties.   

All this religious posturing is so biblical.  Pastors love their big pulpits and they want to be heard!!  I get that feeling.  We all feel like we deserve better than sheltering in place. (We do deserve better).

This kind of defiance reminds of Namaan the great Syrian Military Commander who knew himself to be too superior to dip himself in the lowly Jordan River for healing. We are above that.

Before we know it, we have blown our cover and the virus is having a field day.  We knew this was going to happen didn’t we?  But then again.  We all want to believe that everything is going to be alright.  Just fine. There are always some around who will tell you what you want to hear! (We shall shelter in place again, you’ll see.)

Viruses are pesky creatures that pay no respect to our thoughts and rules.  Whether you like them, believe in them or not, they will fight to survive by spreading ‘at will’. They appreciate our generosity.  They kill at will too. It may not be me who dies but it may be somebody at our behest.  Shall we bow to the virus and say:  ‘Let me show you the way?’

Indoor up close activities are reckless at best.  They are tantamount to what satan tried to do in the second temptation of Jesus.  “Since you are the Son of God, Jump off the pinnacle of the temple and the angels of heaven will save you.” So Satan said.  

And Jesus replied:  “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”

Our defiant behavior is just another way to tempt God to show power and authority.  That’s why it is pretty dangerous, reckless behavior.  Maybe God would save me if I was His son but then again…..?  Either divine response shows power and authority.  I don’t want to be tempting God.

Religious leaders are really in a pickle when they insist how God shall respond.  Pastors are more like Shepherds than gods. Although some Pastors have a hard time drawing a distinction. Pastors are shepherds who are there to protect their flock not to lead them into danger.  “Your rod and your staff, they comfort me” type of shepherd.  Pastors are not called to lead people into unknown dangers as if they were warriors in a Picket’s charge.  Pastors are shepherds who lead toward doing what is right and honorable and good for all.  Shepherd Leaders do not to encourage their people to walk blindly into danger as a charge into potential death from an amoral virus.

What does a Pastor, the shepherd say to the church family if “even one of the least of these” dies because of the infection of the virus from an indoor worship gathering?  ‘Gee.  I’m sorry?’  Doesn’t sound like the wise actions of a shepherd.

Pastors spend a lot of time preaching and teaching about the workings of the unseen, the invisible.  But this is to reveal truth not to defy fact and experience. The virus is unseen but becomes real in illness and death.  Moments of doubt should lead us to visit an intensive care unit or a morgue.  There one might get a sense of the power of the invisible.  

Perhaps we are envisioning a warrior God in our communities?  We Christians like to make a big noise about King David.  Now he was a warrior who did all kinds of wonderful things and evil things too in God’s name.  His physical kingdom never went anywhere and historically, barely merits a mention.  And even in the Biblical books he is shown to be a rather fallible, self consumed individual like most people who want to be King. Hasn’t changed one bit even today.  “You don’t want a king”, the biblical prophets said.  I am beginning to understand what they meant.

You may be thinking of religious leaders as hypocrites with big egos?  Before you pass judgement remember that there are hypocrites in all professions, business, all forms of leadership; perhaps even in your own family.  The Bible tells us so.  Our task is to recognize hypocrisy so that we do not replicate the hypocrisy but learn from it. Even the hypocrite is a teacher.  I hope you learn from me too.  

The life quest is to become good listeners, good learners, productive citizens who love all people and hunger and thirst to share and to build – together- a better world.  “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”  

I pray you don’t need 50 years to comprehend what that means for you.  The solution begins by dipping ourselves in the waters of the lowly Jordan River (figuratively of course) and accepting what simple things we need to do to help and serve each other.