When the World is on Edge

WHEN THE WORLD IS ON EDGE:

Thinking and Living as a Christian in a Time of Crisis

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date:   March 15, 2020

Series: Stand-Alone Sermons

Note:   Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard   Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Special Note to the Reader

Occasionally an event of such magnitude so profoundly changes the landscape of our world, that it really begs for a sermon. Such events are rare. A great economic depression, a world war, or a terrorist attack such as happened on 9/11, come to mind. On the afternoon of Thursday May 12, I had completed the majority of my sermon preparation for a passage in Mark 4. But as Thursday evening wore on into Friday, and the events of the previous days continued to sink in, I was coming to the realization that the ‘coronavirus event’ is one of those rare events that begs for a sermon. As Christians, we need to know what it means to think and live Christianly in a time of crisis. Thus came about the sermon that follows.

INTRODUCTION

For many of us – perhaps for all of us – we are in unchartered territory, facing a national public health emergency and a society that has come to a halt. As you probably know, the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak began in China in late 2019. This is not the first coronavirus challenge that our world has faced. In the early 2000s, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (or SARS) infected thousands of people in China, and hundreds of people died, but it was contained. In the early 2010s, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (or MERS) infected a few thousand in Saudi Arabia, and hundreds of people died, but it was contained.[1] Unlike SARS and MERS, the COVID-19 coronavirus is not contained: it has infected over 150,000 people in well over 100 countries, and so far nearly 6,000 people have died.

On Wednesday March 11, the World Health Organization declared the current coronavirus outbreak to be a pandemic. The term ‘pandemic’ is descriptive of the fact that this disease is global in scope and that it is having a disruptive influence. Europe has been particularly hard. The countries of Italy, France, and Spain are in lock-down mode. Yesterday our missionary family in France wrote, “Schools here are closed for at least 4 weeks, along with museums, libraries, church, restaurants, weddings, (any gathering over 100 people) and activities like sports and music. Schools are offering coursework online for the boys to keep up with their lessons. We’ll see how this homeschooling goes! We’ll only leave the apartment for grocery shopping and to go for a walk where there are no other people.” Don’t assume that such measures won’t or shouldn’t happen here.

The economic and social impact of the coronavirus pandemic has been especially visible during this past week. In terms of the stock market, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has plummeted. From February 12 to March 13, the Dow Jones has fallen 22%. The economic impact is also bound up with the wider social impact. The schedule for professional and collegiate sports has been suspended or altogether canceled. Broadway is closed. Concerts and festivals have been canceled. Airline travel is restricted. The economic implications of these cancellations for airlines, hotels, taxicabs, restaurants is staggering. Further, many colleges and universities will conduct some or all of the remaining spring semester online, and some K-12 schools have also closed in certain places. The conventional wisdom at the present time is to have employees telework from home if possible.

The reason that public gatherings have been canceled or restricted is because the close person-to-person contact that takes place at such gatherings enables the disease to be more easily spread from one person to another. So if we hadn’t heard of the phrase ‘social distancing’ before, now we have: stay away from people, so that you don’t contract the disease; stay away from people so that even if you get infected but remain asymptomatic, you don’t become a carrier of the disease to others, especially to those at greater risk. The goal of ‘social distancing’ is to limit the spread of the disease and to keep it from mushrooming on a scale that will overwhelm our health care system.

Thus far, there are reported cases of COVID-19 in forty-nine of our fifty states. As of yesterday, we have over 2,800 cases in the United States, although the actual number of infected persons may be much higher. Washington State and New York State have the most reported cases – over 600 in each state. Our western neighbor, New Hampshire, has 7 cases. And our southern neighbor, Massachusetts, has 138 cases. There have been 3 reported cases here in Maine. All of these numbers are likely to climb significantly. To date, almost 60 people have died in our country. [NOTE: As of Monday morning, March 16, these numbers have already risen.]

On Friday, President Trump declared this crisis to be a ‘national emergency’. This declaration allows federal resources to be deployed in order to contain the virus. In making this declaration, the President said, “The next eight weeks are critical.” Indeed they are! Therefore, stay alert! Give thought to your steps (Proverbs 14:15). Walk in love! And most importantly, cultivate and maintain a God-centered perspective on every aspect of the present crisis.

During these next eight weeks – and at all times, of course – we want to make sure that our thoughts and our feelings and our reactions and our words and our actions and our priorities and our plans are pleasing to God. We want to have confidence that God approves of the way that we are navigating this crisis. Scripture says: “do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:17)

So then, what does it mean to think and live as a Christian in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic?

REMEMBER THESE TWELVE THINGS

Well, I’ve got twelve things for you, and all twelve things are important. Some address our overall perspective, some address our attitude, and some address our conduct.

Our God is Sovereign

First, remember that God is sovereign over all things. God is sovereign over the coronavirus; God is sovereign over every cell in every body of every human being. God is sovereign over every human response to the coronavirus and over every medical, political, economic, and cultural implication of the disease. Let these Scriptural passages sink in:

“Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” (Psalm 115:3)

“For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.” (Psalm 135:5-7)

“See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.” (Deuteronomy 32:39)

“… I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things.” (Isaiah 45:6-7)

“Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it?” (Amos 3:6)

The point of these passages is that God is actively governing the universe, including the calamities and the tragedies. Do not think that God is like a powerless sympathetic therapist in the sky who is cheering for us while we scramble to get a handle on a microscopic virus – God is not like that! Instead, God is the sovereign king who wants you to understand that nothing happens apart from His sovereign determination. The coronavirus is not in charge. Government leaders and public health officials are not our saviors. Chance is not king. Instead we understand that

“[God’s] dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”” (Daniel 4:34-35)

Friends, our God is sovereign over all things. Therefore, trust in Him with all your heart and give Him the glory that His kingship deserves!

All Things Work for the Good of God’s People

Second, remember that all things work for the good of God’s redeemed people. The apostle Paul wrote:

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:28-29)

All things – including the coronavirus, financial loss, and other hardships – contribute to our spiritual growth, to our fellowship with God, and to our conformity to the character of Christ. The reason that all things “work together for good” is because God is sovereign and He ensures that all things are beneficial to His people. Ephesians 1 tells us that our purposeful God “works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Ephesians 1:11).

When God sends trials upon our path, we should rejoice because “the testing of [our] faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:3). Trials strengthen us when we endure them with patience. Trials force us to reckon with what is most important. And somehow the outward afflictions of this present life “[are] preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) It is good for Christians to ache for heaven, not in the sense of desiring an easy escape, but in the profound sense of feeling profound homesickness for the new heaven and the new earth (2 Peter 3:13), and remembering that “[our] life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

The very first question of the Heidelberg Catechism, which goes all the way back to the 16^th century, is this: “What is your only comfort in life and death?” Here’s the answer:

“That I am not my own,

            but belong with body and soul,

            both in life and in death,

            to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all my sins

            with his precious blood,

            and has set me free

            from all the power of the devil.

He also preserves me in such a way

            that without the will of my heavenly Father

            not a hair can fall from my head;

            indeed, all things must work together

            for my salvation.

Therefore, by his Holy Spirit

            he also assures me

            of eternal life

            and makes me heartily willing and ready

            from now on to live for him.”[2]

Brothers and sisters, all things work together for those who trust in Jesus. Therefore, rest assured in God’s gracious purpose.  

Our World is Fallen

Third, remember that we live in a fallen and cursed world. When God scanned the world that He had made, He saw that “it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). But when Adam and Eve rebelled against God’s Word and instead fell for the devil’s lie, they opened the door to every kind of evil. God warned Adam that if he ate the forbidden fruit, he would die. And God kept His promise: in response to Adam’s sin, God pronounced judgment upon the man and the woman, and God put the world under a curse (Genesis 3:17) and subjected the creation to futility (Romans 8:20-21). As a result, disorder and dysfunction and disease and death entered into our world. The COVID-19 coronavirus is one of the downstream consequences of Adam’s tragic failure in the garden. In this fallen world, things often don’t work properly. There are threats all around. Death is at work, things break down, viruses and parasites undermine health, and humanity experiences so much frustration as it marches to the grave.

Viruses are a threat because humanity abandoned the safety of God’s Word. Remember that we live in a fallen and cursed world, and remember the reason why. Let the truth of humanity’s condition humble you and break your heart, especially given the large number of people who don’t know the Savior.  

God Has Many Possible Purposes for Disease, Calamity, and Death

Fourth, remember that God has many possible purposes for sickness. We’ve already considered two of these purposes:

Purpose Number 1: Sickness (or financial loss, or social upheaval) is always a tangible reminder that we live in a sinful, fallen, and accursed world.

Purpose Number 2: Sickness (or financial loss, or social upheaval) is a trial that is designed to exercise our faith and increase our godliness. But there are other possible purposes that God may be pursuing.

Now consider some additional purposes[3]:

Purpose Number 3: In any particular situation, sickness (or financial loss, or social upheaval) might be a judgment on an unbeliever. Now you must be a gracious steward of this information – don’t run around assuming and speaking as if every case of coronavirus is a direct judgment for a specific sin. And yet, faithfulness to the Bible demands that we understand it could be – sickness could be a judgment on an individual or it could be a judgment on a nation. The plagues were a judgment on Egypt and Egypt’s gods. When Herod in Acts 12 refused to give glory to God, “an angel of the Lord struck him down… and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.” (Acts 12:23)

Purpose Number 4: In any particular a situation, weakness or sickness or death could be a form of discipline on a believer. Precisely because some of the Corinthians were mis-handling the Lord’s Supper, Paul said: “That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.” (1 Corinthians 11:30-32) Here again, don’t automatically assume that this is

the case for every Christian who is weakened, sickened, or killed by coronavirus, but don’t rule it out either.

Purpose Number 5: Sickness (or some other calamity) that results in death is a warning to survivors that they must either repent or perish. On one occasion “the tower in Siloam fell and killed [eighteen people]” (Luke 13:4). One temptation is to be relieved that you weren’t one of the eighteen, or to assume that you weren’t one of the eighteen because of your moral superiority. But Jesus says: “do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:4-5)

Beyond these five reasons, there are any number of other purposes that God might have for a pandemic: purposes for cities and nations, and purposes for the advance of the gospel. In that George Müller biography, which I am reading to my children, I learned that on two occasions when George was severely ill, God utilized (indeed one might even say intended) the illness in order to guide the course of George’s life.

In light of all this: don’t be simplistic in your understanding of God’s purposes for calamities. Don’t naïvely assume what God is or isn’t doing, but realize that the Bible reveals that the purposes of God are wide in scope. Understand that God has many purposes, and the all-powerful and all-wise God is working all those purposes all the way through. Cover your mouth, bow your head, and with reverence and awe worship the God of heaven. And hold onto the truth in this profound hymn:

“God moves in a mysterious way,
    His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
    And rides upon the storm.

“Deep in unfathomable mines
    Of never failing skill;
He treasures up his bright designs,
    And works His sovereign will.

“Ye fearful saints fresh courage take,
    The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
    In blessings on your head.

“Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
    But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence,
    He hides a smiling face.

“His purposes will ripen fast,
    Unfolding ev'ry hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
    But sweet will be the flow'r.

“Blind unbelief is sure to err,
    And scan his work in vain;
God is his own interpreter,
    And he will make it plain.”[4]

Life is Fleeting

Fifth, remember that life in this present world is fleeting. “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (James 4:15) We are tempted to vastly exaggerate our significance. Our sinful hearts would prefer a lie: For you are a mighty mountain that is visible and immovable and eternal. So there is a sense in which coronavirus and its disruptive effects are a tonic for our pride. In reality, the span of our life “is but toil and trouble; [the years of our life] are soon gone, and we fly away.” (Psalm 90:10) It is good and healthy to be reminded of our mortality, our vulnerability, and our weakness. We think that we can do great things, and yet a tiny little virus might send us into eternity.

Friend, you and I are a vanishing mist, a blip on the radar screen of human history. Therefore, do not be great in your own eyes, but humble yourself under God’s mighty hand.

Wealth is Fleeting

Sixth, remember that wealth in this present world is fleeting. Jesus says:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19-20)

The truth is that worldly wealth is as much a vanishing mist as you are. Scripture says: “Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle to heaven.” (Proverbs 23:4-5) Whether it is declining stock value, or lost business, or reduced work hours, wealth can evaporate quickly.

By contrast, the economy of heaven is unaffected by stock sell-offs and event cancellations. Devote your life and your resources to the priorities of God’s kingdom, and you will be rich toward God. Therefore, look to the Lord and set your mind on eternity’s values. God is untroubled by the reduced value of your retirement account, and His promise to supply your daily bread is unchanged. Therefore, do not be anxious about your life!

There is Only One ‘Safe Place’

Seventh, remember that there is no ultimate ‘safe place’ in this world. While a government might say that it wants to guarantee the health of its citizens, the truth is that no government can guarantee any such thing. No government, no health care system, no containment strategy, no degree of ‘social distancing’ can guarantee anything. Besides, while I might have managed to avoid the march of the coronavirus, I might lay down my head on my pillow tonight and have a fatal heart attack at 3:00am. The truth is that our physical, economic, social, and political well-being in this present world is fundamentally uncertain. The only ultimate ‘safe place’ in all the world, is in the faithful hand of God. Nothing can rescue us from sin, except the precious blood of Christ. Nothing can carry us through the valley of death, except the power of the risen Christ. And if we have Christ, then nothing else can separate us from His unfailing love (Romans 8:35-39). Don’t live in the illusion of ‘safety-in-the-here-and-now’, but entrust all that you are and have to your heavenly Father.

Government is a Gift from God

Eighth, remember that government is a gift to us. Government, governmental entities, government officials, public health agencies and health officials, are a gift to us. “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” (Romans 13:1) Government is a gift from God. Although government can be abused in all kinds of ways, we need to remember that God’s purpose for government is to promote that which is good and to punish that which is evil.

People may sensibly debate and disagree over the appropriate reach of government. But I trust we can all agree that if a nation is going to effectively limit the spread of a disease during a new outbreak, it is going to require an organized and coordinated effort – which means that it is good and right for the government to exercise its authority. And as the government exercises authority and leads and guides us through this crisis, our responsibility is clear: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities” (Romans 13:1).  

So let me impress upon us how important it is that we cultivate a spirit of respect and deference to the governing authorities and public health agencies, even though we know that they won’t get everything right. They won’t get everything right, and neither would we if we were in their shoes. Nor do we get everything right in our sphere of responsibilities. So if you have a critical spirit, take it to the nearest transfer station, and in its place cultivate respect. If the government gives directives, let us follow them. If the government gives recommendations, let us take those recommendations seriously.

It matters that Governor Mills has recommended that for the next four weeks, large gatherings of 250 or more people be postponed. If that recommendation becomes an order, that matters. If the details change – for example, if the number of 250 drops to 150 or 100 – that matters. [NOTE: As of Sunday evening, March 15, the recommendation has been adjusted to include gatherings of 50 or more people.]

As an individual, as a family, and as a church family, we need to be alert to what our governmental leaders are saying, and unless they say something that is explicitly at odds with Scriptural instruction, we should have a spirit of deference and compliance. It is not our responsibility as a church community to develop public policy that affects the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.[5] It is our responsibility to “be subject” to those who do have the responsibility to develop public policy – and we should be compliant with complaining.

I am not a prophet who foretells the future, but don’t be surprised if public restrictions are increased over the next few weeks. Take it all in good stride, and rejoice in the mercy of God.

Watch Your Tongue

Ninth, remember to keep your tongue from evil, and use your tongue for good. The Bible tells us not to be wise in our own eyes (Proverbs 3:7), and yet we are tempted not only to be impressed with our own ‘take’ on things, we are often only too happy to share it with others. And what I want to say is: be careful.

The truth of the matter is that we know very little about the coronavirus; we know very little about what is happening ‘on the ground’ in places like China, Europe, and throughout our own country; we know very little about the information that government leaders and health officials and scientists in the laboratory are having to process and sift through; and we know very little about how all the various dynamics of the situation are going to develop over the course of the next days, weeks, and months. Further, whatever happens in the next eight weeks, we have no way of knowing what would have happened if we as a society had not taken the precautionary measures that we have already begun taking. On top of all this ignorance, we know very little about God’s specific purpose for specific people in specific places. We know His general purposes, yes, but His detailed purposes are largely hidden. For all of these reasons, do not be wise in your own eyes! Do not speak as if you’ve got a handle on this – because you don’t. Do not be a fool who delights in airing his own opinions (Proverbs 18:2)! Do not assume that you have the ability to unpack all the complex causes behind the present crisis. Even if you could see all the complex causes and factors with perfect clarity, what difference would it make anyway? For behind all the complex human and non-human factors is the sovereign hand of God, and who knows what He is doing? So be resolved not to promote negativity or bitterness or fear or speculation, but instead to speak “only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29) Let all your words be characterized by humility, compassion, and wisdom.

Serve Others in Love

Tenth, remember that followers of Jesus are not called to be self-protective, but to serve others in love. Our hope is not in this present life, and our treasure is not in this present world. Therefore, in this time of crisis, don’t make it your primary aim to look out for yourself. Jesus says: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.” (Mark 8:34-35) Jesus doesn’t call us to save our life in this present world; Jesus doesn’t call us to self-preservation. Instead, as we count it a privilege to be in the hand of a crucified Savior, we must make it our aim to serve others for Jesus’ sake. Not protecting ourselves, but giving of ourselves. Not preserving our own skin, but making sacrifices for the good of others.[6]

We should think in terms of concentric circles: serve your family; then draw your family, as much as it is possible, into serving your church family and wider community; then draw your fellow Christians, neighbors, and friends into serving your region and world. In a simple phrase: walk in love! Be generous and meet needs both inside and outside our church family. Slow down, and weep with those who weep. In the midst of a crisis – in the face of pressing needs – one of the best ways to display Jesus to the world is to reflect His sacrificial love by laying down our lives for the good of others, because that’s what Jesus did for us.

It is worth pointing out that although it may seem counterintuitive, staying away from people (‘social distancing’!) may actually be one of the primary ways of serving others in this present crisis. At first glance, such self-isolation might seem self-protective, but in reality – in this particular situation – limiting our interactions is a way of preventing COVID-19 from spreading to others, especially to the more vulnerable people in our community. So look at ‘social distancing’ from the vantage point of love.

The Important Things

Eleventh, remember the things that matter most. The coronavirus pandemic and national emergency and societal upheaval is a great time to re-set our priorities. When you are facing a pandemic, how important is professional sports? When you are facing a deadly virus, how important is politics? When you are facing uncertainty and vulnerability, how important is public entertainment?

Maybe we should have been paying less attention to those things all along, and paying more attention to our loved ones.

Maybe we should have been less devoted to the trivialities of modern spectacles, and more devoted to the rock solid realities of God’s kingdom. Seek God’s kingdom first (Matthew 6:33), with emphasis on first.

Maybe we should have been less enamored with television personalities, and more appreciative of the people God has put in your everyday path.

Maybe we should have been speaking less to others about things of little consequence, and more to our heavenly Father about the things that matter most.

And while it is good and right to help people escape the uncertain path of the coronavirus, it is far more important to help people escape the certainty of God’s judgment, which will be without mercy to those who don’t know Christ. We must tell people that beyond the diseases and disruptions of our present world, there is a Savior who is able to save people from their sins.    

Live Every Day in the Light of the Father’s Smile

Twelfth, remember to live every day in the light of the Father’s smile. For this final and very important point, I turn to C. S. Lewis. I saw an article entitled “C. S. Lewis on the Coronavirus.”[7] This article featured an insightful quotation from Lewis, written around 1948. In this quotation, Lewis is actually speaking about the atomic bomb, but Matt Smethurst suggested substituting ‘coronavirus’ in place of ‘atomic bomb’. So here’s the quotation, with a few adjustments (indicated in brackets) in order to transpose Lewis’ wisdom into this ‘coronavirus moment’. Lewis wrote:  

“In one way we think a great deal too much of the [coronavirus]. “How are we to live in [a coronavirus] age?” I am tempted to reply: “Why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night; or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of paralysis, an age of air raids, an age of railway accidents, an age of motor accidents.”

“In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation. Believe me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death before the [coronavirus became a threat]: and quite a high percentage of us were going to die in unpleasant ways. We had, indeed, one very great advantage over our ancestors—anesthetics; but we have that still. It is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering and drawing long faces because the scientists have added one more chance of painful and premature death to a world which already bristled with such chances and in which death itself was not a chance at all, but a certainty.

“This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by [the coronavirus], let that [virus] when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about [the coronavirus]. [It] may break our bodies … but [it] need not dominate our minds.”[8]

Let us not be “frightened sheep” then, but beloved children who live every day in the light of our Father’s smile.

ENDNOTES

[1] For this background information and other helpful information, see Miguel Núñez, “The FAQs: Coronavirus Explained by an Infectious Disease Expert and Pastor.” Published online by The Gospel Coalition on March 11, 2020. Available online: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/what-we-know-coronavirus/.

[2] Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 1. Available online: http://www.heidelberg-catechism.com/en/lords-days/1.html.

[3] For further development of these ideas, see John Piper, “How Do We Make Sense of the Coronavirus?” Published online by Desiring God on February 28, 2020. Available online: https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/how-do-we-make-sense-of-the-coronavirus.

[4] “God Moves in a Mysterious Way” by William Cowper.  

[5] For helpful perspective, see Mark Dever’s comments in “Quick Take: What Should Churches Do About Coronavirus?” Published online by 9Marks on March 12, 2020. Available online: https://www.9marks.org/pastors-talk/quick-take-what-should-churches-do-about-coronavirus/.

[6] For a helpful reflection, see Akos Balogh, “Dear Christian, When The Pandemic Hits, This Is Our Time.” Published online by The Gospel Coalition (Australia Edition) on March 10, 2020. Available online: https://au.thegospelcoalition.org/article/dear-christian-when-the-pandemic-hits-this-is-our-time/.

[7] Matt Smethurst, “C. S. Lewis on the Coronavirus.” Published online by The Gospel Coalition on March 12, 2020. Available online: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/cs-lewis-coronavirus/.

[8] C. S. Lewis quoted in Smethurst, “C .S. Lewis on the Coronavirus” (see Endnote 7 above). The bracketed words represent my own adjustments to the quote, as I mentioned in the manuscript.