Pondering some more, I'm not sure He would... Because no virus could infect Him, nor could He carry the virus to another... He would have rid the virus for anyone around Him! I might not even wear a mask if Jesus is in church today; might not, need not, would not!
BUT Jesus has not yet returned. He has not yet established His decisive rule. So destruction, death and disease still runs rampant. And if WWJD is not a helpful question in this context, what should one do? Debate, divide and sow discord? I pray not! Even though the Bible is NOT explicit about Covid per say, biblical principles might be helpful. These are a few of our family's thoughts and are meant to be descriptive rather than prescriptive.
These passages have guided most of our thought process -
- Romans 13:1 "Let everyone be subject to governing authorities"
- 1 Cor 9:19 -22 "Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some...
- 1 Cor 10:31-33 "so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble... For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved."
1. We decided as a family to adopt CDC guidelines in this area, since they are the authorities in public health.. So when they issued the new guidance a few weeks back, we decided to try our best to adopt it. Emphasis on try. Even though exemptions have been given to houses of worship in the States, this is not the case for most countries. If not for the politics behind separation of state and church in the US, may we gladly be subject to governing authorities in this matter since it does not contradict with our core beliefs.
2. Serving in children's ministry, all of the kids are not vaccinated. Even though not all of them are wearing masks and we are vaccinated, we wanted to do our little bit to not risk infecting them.
3. Masks wearers are a minority in the church, and we wanted to help anyone who felt more comfortable wearing masks to not be overly self conscious - that there are others who wear masks too! I have to admit that it has not always been easy, there is some peer pressure when the majority are not wearing masks.
4. The vaccination rate in Cook County is fairly low (around 50%), and that's probably not too far from where the congregation vaccination rate is. In light of this, for the protection of both the vaccinated and unvaccinated, it might be a wise and loving thing to use the means of masks, to do what we can to not contribute to the spread of the virus broadly.
2. Serving in children's ministry, all of the kids are not vaccinated. Even though not all of them are wearing masks and we are vaccinated, we wanted to do our little bit to not risk infecting them.
3. Masks wearers are a minority in the church, and we wanted to help anyone who felt more comfortable wearing masks to not be overly self conscious - that there are others who wear masks too! I have to admit that it has not always been easy, there is some peer pressure when the majority are not wearing masks.
4. The vaccination rate in Cook County is fairly low (around 50%), and that's probably not too far from where the congregation vaccination rate is. In light of this, for the protection of both the vaccinated and unvaccinated, it might be a wise and loving thing to use the means of masks, to do what we can to not contribute to the spread of the virus broadly.
5. For the medical professionals among our family and friends, for whom the battle with Covid is a daily reality... And for many other families who have suffered from or lost loved ones to Covid... This is just a very small way of showing solidarity.
6. I do think there is Christian liberty here, and if there is, how shall we use our liberty? Why not use the freedom to wear masks instead of not wearing masks? Why not use the freedom to do the less comfortable thing for oneself?
6. I do think there is Christian liberty here, and if there is, how shall we use our liberty? Why not use the freedom to wear masks instead of not wearing masks? Why not use the freedom to do the less comfortable thing for oneself?
Christians have differed on so many issues throughout the centuries - from eschatology to baptism, from women's role in ministry to dress code... And where there are differences in the non-essential issues; we have debated thoughtfully, listened to each other carefully, and agreed to disagree gracefully. We stand united in the core tenants of our faith, and accept differences in interpretations and preferences. Vaccinations and masking up, these may have to be among such issues. For some, this may be where the rubber meets the road.
At the end of the day, the brother who is not vaccinated is still my brother in Christ. The sister who is masking up is still my sister in Christ. Nothing is more fundamental than how I view him or her - bought with the precious blood of Christ. We may have landed on different sides on this, but it will be the plank in my eye that I have to remove, if I cannot move past this speck of saw-dust in theirs. Nothing will threaten our unity in Christ, nor inhibit us from worshipping together. Nothing shall separate us, for God has joined us as One as the Bride of Christ.
For where I seek to love my neighbor in masking up, I must also seek to love my neighbor when they have a different perspective. And "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (1 Cor 13:4-8)
No comments:
Post a Comment