Day 86: An Incalculable Loss: U.S. Deaths Near 100,000

DAY 86

Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic

A series of daily reflections for people of faith

by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland

WEEK THIRTEEN: MONDAY 8 JUNE 2020

An Incalculable Loss: U.S. Deaths Near 100,000

“They were not simply names on a list. They were us. Numbers alone cannot possibly measure the impact on America, whether it is the number of patients treated, jobs interrupted, or lives cut short.” - Newspaper that published 1,000 names, 1% of deaths thus far. 24 May 2020 in a headline article by the same name.

Years ago in one of my earliest ‘read-through-the-Bible-from-start-to-finish’ endeavors, I found myself in the Book of Numbers, so called for a reason – it numbers people with lengthy lists of hard-to-pronounce names. So I simply skipped over them, skipped over a part of what I believed was, in its entirety, the inspired and trustworthy Word of God, without error. The Holy Spirit, Who wrote the whole thing, convicted me in my heart in words similar to those above: these were not just names – they were me, every name the name of a unique human being known to God, of great value in His sight. From that day on I do not hesitate to read with careful measured cadence the lineage lists for Jesus in the birth narratives at Christmas.   

As some in leadership in our nation focus on mourning the loss of a robust stock market, there is silence when it comes to mourning the loss of human life – no national day of mourning, no marking of the macabre milestone of 100,000 dead bodies, all with names, all unique human beings lost to themselves, lost to their loved ones, lost to us as a nation, no prayer service of thanksgiving for who they were or of thanksgiving for selfless health care workers. It is indeed an ‘incalculable loss’ that rather than being acknowledged is, disturbingly, being minimized. But …

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were: any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” - John Donne, 1572-1631.

Reflective question: How do the deaths of others in this pandemic affect you, change your life?

Reflective Scripture: Isaiah 43:1 – “I have called you by name …”

Reflective hymn:

“He Knows My Name – Tommy Walker – written 2009

I have a Maker He formed my heart,

before even time began my life was in His hands.

He knows my name, He knows my every thought,

He sees each tear that falls and He hears me when I call.