Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany( 2021) Year B.
By. Rev. Reginald Knight
For the past few Sundays we have met together through this medium, in compliance with the directives by our authorities and our Diocesan respectively. Yes, we as a church are feeling a certain degree of displacement. Our daily Sunday routines have been disturbed, our Wednesday services and our ability to visit our shut-in members have all been affected by this new way of life – this new normal.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it a barrage of unknowns – making it impossible for any of us to predict exactly what will happen next – what to expect.
Yes. The invisible enemy is upon us, it is in the form of a terrible and deadly disease – at work across the world and certainly in our nation.
Across the world, many scientists are busy at using their God given gifts to understand this disease. They are trying to find better ways to control and where possible bring a halt to its spread. With the emergence of the various new variants of this disease, we are all being encouraged to be more vigilant and to recognize and adhere to safe practices – washing of hands regularly, wearing face masks and social distancing.
Governments around the world – most especially our government, are all hard at work trying to devise ways in which we as a nation can do what we can in order to get a hold on the disease and wrestle it to the ground – in the hope of eventually defeating it. We are being encouraged to fight this together, we are being encouraged to be each other’s keeper and see past whatever differences we may have, and stand together for this cause. If we are to be indeed successful, there must be a togetherness in this fight – granted this will bring some dislocation – but all for the greater good.
Today the religious community must now play our part in demonstrating to the rest of Barbados and the region, that this is a fight which we must all be a part of. The voice of the church must be a voice preaching the Gospel of hope, reminding all that God is very much in this pandemic with us. And that we with the help of God will not relent in the fight.
And so there is good news, the good news that the God who fights with and for his people, is not passive and that he is (According to St. Paul) “working all things together for the good.”
We must all come together, and do what is required to win this battle against this disease; because in spite of all these various practices and scientific break-throughs, there’s still a sense of fear and hopelessness among our people. A feeling of hopelessness which stands to affect us in so many ways – most especially our mental states.
But I believe that we must be bold enough to call it what it is. This experience brothers and sisters to my mind is a wake-up call to us all – a wake-up call to us believers.
As one writer puts it, “God does send trouble when it’s necessary for our ultimate good.”
Writer and contributor Richard Tow, in an article said this of God: He sent trouble to Jonah to get him turned in the right direction. What was God’s objective behind sending the storm and the fish Jonah’s way? It was to get Jonah aligned with His purposes. It was the salvation of many souls in Nineveh.
If we consider the persecution that came upon the early church, that persecution caused them to become fragmented and got them out into the community, the end result of that disruption, was an advancement of the Gospel. Acts 8:4 tells us: “Therefore, those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.”
Our church is today making full use of the internet and the various forms of media which can be used to get the word of God out to the wider community the world. I’m sure that we at this moment are reaching some of our friends in the UK and the USA. This evening we repeat this service on YouTube where it can be watched and listened to as often as you like – but we cannot be too comfortable, daily we have to be creative in our thinking and in what we do as we continue the task of spreading the good news – the gospel of Christ. A Christ who stands ready to protect and care for his people.
We are now tasked with the responsibility of living out and personifying the gospel, during this period of disruption.
How do we respond to the needs of others within the community?
• Calling and checking in on our elderly and most vulnerable in the community.
• Assisting where possible with the distribution of care packages – assisting our authorities by following the protocols – thus, protecting self and others.
• Through the use of the technology at our disposal, we can continue our various forms of worship – bible study groups, evening and where possible morning prayer, discussions on several current and related topics.
• Sunday school for the children.
• Set ourselves personal projects: maybe; gardening, reading, spend quality time with family. Family worship etc .
• There should also be used as an opportunity to reflect upon the future of the church as it relates to – mission, ministry and maintenance.
The challenges, which the people at Nineva and the community at Israel and the challenges of the early church, should serve as reminders to us that God is constantly with us even in the worst of times, and that this present dislocation which we are experiencing, should not cause us to lose faith in God – but to consider our ways and become even closer to him.
Brothers and sisters as we pause for the next few days I leave you with the words of writer Richard Tow:
“The best outcome we can have from the current crisis is a closer walk with Jesus. Nothing would be better than God’s church seeking Him with all our hearts. Some might think the restoration of retirement fund values and investment values would be a good outcome. God can do that. But the outcome He is pursuing is you and your relationship with Him. What if the church emerged refined and full of the Holy Spirit? What if the church turned to God with ALL her heart? No more half-hearted service. No more, lame or blemished sacrifices. The best outcome for COVID-19 pandemic is a right relationship with God—a quality of Christianity that is empowered to reach lost souls and turn this world right-side up! We should all strive to be part of that.” AMEN.
