Dear Church Family,
“Take your Bible, and take your newspaper, and read both.” That advice from theologian Karl Barth, has
never been more fitting than it is today.
The news about the corona virus filtrates almost every article
in this morning’s paper. It’s important
to stay abreast of the news in order to be aware of the latest restrictions and
closures and to know how we can help stem the tide of COVID-19. Basically, stay
home. But if you spend your
whole day reading the newspaper and watching the news, you will soon lose
perspective. Other than the occasional
feel-good story, it’s all bad news.
At the same time, don’t read your bibles without listening
to what is happening out there. As
Christians, we can slip into Plato’s dualism and assure ourselves that this
physical world doesn’t matter anyway; we’ve got a (spiritual) mansion just over
the hilltop. The future promises that God holds out to us are beautiful and important. But his salvation, this concept of “being
saved,” is also for today, during the present crisis. When God says he will uphold us, he means now,
today.
“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in
him; though [we] may stumble, [we] will not fall, for the Lord upholds [us]
with his hand” (Psalm 37:23, 24).
You have lots of time on your hands today, so go ahead and
follow the news. But also read your bible. As followers of Jesus, you can’t
have one with the other.
Pastor Rita
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