Discovering a cure to the ultimate universal pandemic

It was not in Wuhan, China
but in a Garden long ago
where a virus
that would plague the world
broke out.
It was the original pandemic.

A man and a woman
distanced themselves from their Creator.
Hiding from God,
they insisted on wearing masks,
disguising their true identity,
pretending to be other than they were.

And the outbreak has not been contained.
It has been passed from family to family
and generation to generation
for thousands of years
with similar consequences.

The disease is catastrophic.
The infection is universal.
Those contaminated suffer from
hopelessness, despair, loneliness and shame.
It is a terminal illness.

And through the centuries,
a kind and merciful Creator
has refused to be kept away.
Instead of sheltering in place
our loving God has drawn near.
Through prophets and priests and kings,
through princes and farmers and shepherdesses,
through farmers and physicians,
through tax collectors and fishermen,
through rabbis and rebels,
the Great Physician has attempted to
examine us that He might heal us.
But we’ve resisted.

Eventually,
having been born among us
as one of us,
the Creator
fully embraced the human condition.
And on a Roman cross
this loving God stretched out His arms
and reached into our helpless plight
and touched us with His grace.

In His face
we see the life
for which we’ve longed.
In His blood
we claim the antibody
that alone can cure our sin.
In His death
we acknowledge the needed sacrifice
a holy God demands.
In His resurrection,
we take hold of the promise
that He will never leave us or forsake us
whether we are six feet apart
or six feet under.

How the coronavirus has impacted our preparation for Easter

“So what did you give up for Lent this year?”

Wait! I think I know.
The same thing we all gave up.
Life as usual.

Schools are closed.
Restaurants, too.
Non-essential businesses are boarded up.
Locked beauty shops are revealing our untouched roots.
Salons for manis and pedis are nailed shut.
Shopping malls are shuttered.
Parks are cordoned off.
So are ICU rooms.

There’s no public worship.
No Lenten soup suppers.
No funerals.
AA meetings are online.
Yoga classes as well.

Sheltering in place means we are shopping from home.
Many are working from home.
Kids are learning at home.
But there is one thing we aren’t doing at home.
We aren’t watching our home teams on TV at home (or any other place).
No sports are being played.

No cruises are sailing.
Vacations have been canceled.
Wedding receptions put on hold.
Reunions as well.
And new hips will just have to wait in line (behind new knees).

It’s a Lenten season unlike any other we’ve ever known.
In retrospect, giving up chocolate or meat on Fridays
doesn’t seem like that big of a sacrifice anymore.
Just sayin’!

It’s a matter of life or death

Six feet over or six feet under?
The choice seems clear. And yet I wonder
why so many disregard
a life or death decree.

There’s breathing room in six short feet.
So, why do you hug those you meet?
Just keep your distance. Play it safe.
The space you grant is grace.

Don’t get too close. Give others room.
If you refuse, the deadly gloom
that circumvents our precious globe
will largely go unchecked.

When we obey what we are told
the weak and fragile (and the old)
can rest assured we’ll do our part
to keep this bug at bay.

Reflecting on the coronavirus crisis

It’s an unprecedented crisis
that our president has likened to a war.
There is a price tag in terms of human lives and the economy.
The bottom line is tallied on a daily basis.

My city’s a ghost town.
And it’s likely yours is, too.
And what is worse, the ghost is still at large.

It’s larger than life but equal to death.
Although invisible, this ghost casts an enormous shadow.
It drenches our hopes and dreams in darkness
while our doubts and fears are allowed to flourish in the mist of mourning.

Parents don’t dare tell ghost stories to their kids.
But they’d do well to talk about their COVID-19 concerns with each other
(just not in the same room).

Is there a ghostbuster in the house?
Absolutely, there is.
It’s called heeding what the authorities advise us.
It’s called social distancing.
It’s called diligent hand washing.
It’s called working from home.
It’s called worshiping remotely.
It’s called checking in oftern with those we care about.
It’s called calling out to the Creator for divine intervention.
It’s called listening to our hearts amid the unfamiliar sounds of silence.
It’s called embracing faith and renouncing despair.

Lord, have mercy!

What to do and what not to do

Wash your hands 12 times a day.
Stay at least 6 feet away.
Stay at home if you feel sick.
Sneeze into your arm.

Stay away from nursing homes.
Disinfect your mobile phones.
Work remotely if you can.
FaceTime those you love.

You can manage, yes you can.
Plan your day then work your plan.
Play it safe and safely work.
Start each day with prayer!