Updated: Mar 24, 2020
Covid-19 has undoubtedly made its mark on our 2020 and likely far beyond.
The bounty of memes, media, and even our banishment/quarantine have ensured that we will not easily slide past this moment in history without being constantly reminded of the wrath of Corona.
Certain demographics have been hit harder than others, but, whether it be physical or financial, we have all suffered from this pandemic.
I have no desire to discuss conspiracies (although the boredom from being in quarantine might make that tempting),
I am not a doctor, I am not a politician, I am not a scientist, I am not an authority...I am a Christian.
So, Christian, where do we look when plagues and famines ransack our nation?
We look to God, of course.
Easter is just a few weeks away, and if things progress as they are currently, most Christians will not be celebrating the most important day of the Church calendar.
This fact alone should bring us to our knees with grief.
The resurrection of Jesus on Easter marks the beginning of something new.
Easter is an outbreak of abundance, signifying the end of death, sin, and disunity.
Yet, for many of us, the cancellation of Easter has taken a backseat to the many other side effects of Covid-19.
This is to our shame!
Throughout history, God has disciplined His people when they were not following Him as they should.
When Israel became wayward, God sent them into captivity. When Israel's Kings acted wickedly, God gave them over to their enemies.
You and I, being grafted into those same people of God, need to ask ourselves, 'of what must we repent?'.
What disorder have we allowed to slither into our worship before God?
Disorder subsists because weekly in our churches, and in our lives, we aren't regularly or rightly celebrating Easter/Resurrection.
On Easter, we are celebrating the finished work of Jesus, whereby He is presently ordering all things in a disordered creation.
Easter is the Ebenezer.
An 'Ebenezer' is a stone of remembrance...like a memorial stone.
I'm afraid the church has taken very little care of our monument.
We've let the grass grow up, and the vines snake up the stone.
Easter has become little more than a relic of spring tidings.
We have become proud and fat.
We must confess this sin before the Lord.
We must plead with Him and ask to be reinstated to corporate worship.
We have made other things more important than worshiping the one living and true God as He has prescribed we ought.
Even now, we are more concerned about our health, 401ks, and our mortgages, than we are about missing corporate worship.
Turn to God, repent! We have worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator who is forever blessed.
The resurrection of Jesus is proof that God is merciful toward all those who turn from their sin and trust in Him.
Jesus' bodily resurrection is the first fruits of the rightly ordered creation.
I don't need to be a Scientist or a Doctor to know that the resurrection of Jesus is impossible.
Yet, it did happen...what would happen if all of God's covenant people would turn their eyes towards heaven in repentance?
I am (personally) confessing my own sin, the sins of my home, the church, and the sins of my nation before the Lord, asking that He, in great mercy, would allow us to properly worship before Him on Easter.
Please consider doing the same.