It may be difficult to fathom that it has been one year now since we started dealing with Covid 19. Someone has termed the phrase “Coronaversary” but I doubt anyone is prefacing it with “Happy” or doing any celebration. It has been my observation the last week that many people are letting their guard down believing it has passed and since now people are being vaccinated. I have been very active since the beginning doing most everything I always did even before the Covid. Empty roads, empty eating establishments, empty churches, empty gyms, empty shelves at the grocery. About the only thing that didn’t seem to be empty was Wal-Mart where the word empty did not exist. We should continue to be vigilant and not let down our guard. We will continue to exercise safety practices at the church with distant seating, throwaway communion ware and bulletins, urging people to wear masks when moving about, and courtesy. It is safe to say that we know of no one who as contracted Covid who has come to church. We want to continue to be open for services and continue to make it comfortable for everybody who attends.
Not only should we continue to be vigilant about the Covid, as Christians we need to continue not to let our guard down about who we are. We no doubt need to be more vigilant about the world around us and what is happening, especially here in the U.S.. It is becoming difficult to express our convictions but we must not tire of doing so. With love we give answer and defense for that which we stand, knowing we stand on the truth of God. It would be wise to continue to remember the words of Peter, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith,…. and the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”
1 Peter 5:8-10 The O.T. also gives such warning “Don’t let down your guard lest even now, today, someone – man or woman, clan or tribe – gets sidetracked from God, our God, and gets involved with the no-gods of the nations; lest some poisonous weed sprout and spread among you, a person who hears the words of the Covenant-oath but exempts himself, thinking, “I’ll live just the way I please, thank you,” and ends up ruining life for everybody. (Deuteronomy 29:18, 19 MSG version) Seems pretty clear that we continue to be faithful and keep our guard up in this world.
But as the new vaccines encourage us for a better tomorrow without fear of Covid 19, so let us be encouraged knowing that Christ also promises us a better tomorrow into eternity. -Ray-
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