Day 17
Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic
A series of daily reflections for the people of faith at Patuxent Presbyterian Church,
California, Maryland, by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor
WEEK THREE: TUESDAY 31 MARCH 2020
“Your Questions About Life Under Coronavirus”
“How worried should I be about getting sick?
Should I get tested?
Why is it called the coronavirus?
Is there a vaccine yet?
What if someone on my family gets sick?
My kids are scared – what can I tell them?”
Newspaper article “Your Questions about Life Under Coronavirus.” 22 March 2020
Years ago I methodically went through my Bible, page by page, and circled every question mark, underlining every question. From the beginning of time when God asked Adam in Geneses 3:9, “’Where are you?’” to the question asked at the end of time in Revelation 7:13 at the sight of a vision of redeemed saints in heaven, “’these in white robes – who are they, and where did they come from?’” God has been asking questions of us, and we have been asking questions of Him.
We were created to ask questions because of a God-implanted desire to know, and the questions referenced above from the newspaper come from that unique human capacity to question, and from a growing existential anxiety in the hearts and minds of people everywhere.
I am of the generation of cradle Presbyterians who can remember Confirmation Class and the memorization of the catechism. To this day if you ask a room full of Presbyterians my age, “What is the chief end of man?” most will still be able to answer as can I, “The chief end of man is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” (The Westminster Shorter Catechism).
A growing number of questions accompany us on this pandemic journey, and only at its end will some be answered. But at the end of life’s journey one ‘answer’ will suffice for all our questions: the presence of Jesus. So let our focus during this uncertain time be on Him and be at peace with unanswered questions.
Reflective questions:
What is your most pressing question for God?
What is His most pressing question for you?
Reflective scripture: Mark 10:17 – “’What must I do to inherit eternal life?’”
Reflective hymn: Ask Ye What Great Thing I Know (Johann Schwedler 1672-1730)
Ask ye what great thing I know that delights and stirs me so?
What the high reward I win? Whose the name I glory in?
Jesus Christ the crucified.
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