Pandemic 2020 – Day 131. (1.7 million cases/ 101,635 deaths)
Four months and counting. The numbers of Americans affected by the coronavirus continue to rise; as does the search for a vaccine and medications to reverse its impact. The viral battle dominates the nation’s attention, or at least it did until yesterday. Today, all eyes are on another American pandemic; an age old one that simmers not in the physical domain but in the spiritual. It hides in the deep recesses of the national soul- it is the pandemic of racism. I have always maintained that the defining issue of this country is that of the racial divide; the issue of skin color and ethnic origin. Over the centuries no vaccine or antidote has effectively conquered its deadliness. The passage of laws, executive orders, the civil rights movement, court decisions and none of the other remedies applied over the years since this nation was founded have been able to eradicate this deadly virus of the soul.
So here are on this 139th day of fighting a viral attack that has shattered the norms of this Christian nation, derailing its economy and wrecking havoc in every area of the lives of its citizens. COVID-19 has been pushed over to share the national stage with Racism. In Minneapolis, the past two nights have been filled with the images of community outrage, rioting, burning and looting by protestors over the killing of George Floyd. The murder of the black man was captured on video recordings that depict the police brutality that resulted in his unnecessary death. Reminiscent of other times in our history when a white man, usually a policeman, kills an unarmed black man without cause, the images speak to the unresolved issues of race. It is a powerful enemy, and like the coronavirus challenges this nation of professed Christians during an era of diminished national leadership. The president’s tweet saying the looters should be shot was so alarming, Twitter censored the comments because they broke the company’s rules glorifying violence.
Will this ever get better, ever end? Understandable queries in this new norm of 20 second hand washing, disinfecting, mask wearing, social distancing, virtual everything and sheltering in place. Even as states move to lift some restrictions in an effort to reboot the economy and move back to “normal” in other areas, we know that without a vaccine to prevent and meds to heal, the fight against the viral disease is far from over. So too it appears is our longstanding fight against racism. An invisible infectious agent wrecks lives in staggering numbers, for the moment at least. We are confident that in time scientists will harness God’s wisdom and produce what we need to combat COVID-19. I’m not as optimistic about the other virus. Racism goes dormant for a spell, but it has not as of yet been entirely erased from the DNA of this nation. Just look at how it so easily took the leading role from the other wrecker to showcase its lethal ability to kill and destroy. There really is only one remedy for it; God spoke it millennia ago. Healing from racism won’t come a laboratory or the halls of congress or the courtroom. No, the healing needed for that pandemic can come only from God. But it’s conditional. ” If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked way, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) There it is: the cure for racism. Humility, prayer, forsaking wickedness in all its forms-bound together to seek the face of God – will free us of this unrelenting virus of the soul. May we embrace it. Individually. Collectively. As the people of God we profess to be.
Love. Joy. Peace.