Quarantine 2020 – Social Responsibility
April 26, 2020 6PM Study

My sister used to babysit my brother and I when we were kids. She is almost 8 years older than me, so it made sense for this social order. She had a job that I would not wish on my worst enemy – as a kid I was hyperactive and hyperemotional. What that meant was that I always wanted to be outside running around, but I just as likely might be crying my head off chasing my brother with a baseball bat.

The challenge for my sister was that for my age, I was a little too clever. I am not necessarily saying I was especially intelligent, but I was shrewd. I learned early on that when I did bad things when she was babysitting, I would get in trouble, but often so would she. She was older, and she “knew better.” Sometimes in my evil little hyper-emotional brain, my consequence was worth it if I got her in trouble.

Was it fair? Probably not. But fair or not, in accepting the measly dollar an hour or whatever she was paid, she took on a responsibility for me and my actions.

Part of growing up is learning how we are to behave in a civilized world. With ADHD and emotions out of whack, I imagine my parents worried at times what kind of monster I would grow into. They worked tirelessly to teach me how to behave, and as I grew, I learned and adjusted, as most people do. We recognize that there is acceptable behavior in company, and we begin to learn about social responsibility – the things that allow our melting pot of a country to survive together.

Christians have a social responsibility in the midst of the coronavirus. First of all, the church is obligated to obey the laws of the government: “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God” (Romans 13:1). Therefore, when the government makes recommendations or issues warnings, it is incumbent upon the church to treat these communications seriously.

For some, following the quarantine and social distancing put in place by the government seems like common sense. They recognize a threat - they act according to how they think best. For others it is not so easy. As a nation, we have had reason to wonder about the motives behind our political leaders and our media for some time now, so many people wonder just how serious this thing is. Accordingly, they may act with caution, provided none of the requirements seem totally out of hand.

Still others believe that hype and hysteria are the real threat – more so than the virus (“if there really is one.”) Some of these people have simply ignored the regulations set forth by leadership, while many others have gone so far as to take to the street and protest the quarantine.

I am not a medical professional, nor do I play one on TV. I know a few, and I am much more apt to listen to their advice about medical things then, say, the guy down the street with a plumbing business. In the same way, I’m calling the guy down the street for a plumbing emergency rather than a doctor. I know enough to know that I need to defer to the experts when I don’t understand everything. Information cannot be trusted a lot of the time, so we are back to trusting people – those whom we believe have our best interests at heart.

In response, as you all know, Bevier FBC shut down all in-person services. We have moved everything into the digital arena, conducting our services including worship online and conducting studies through social media.

Why did we do this?

First off, it is biblical, as stated above. We submit to authority that has been established by God. In this situation, that is the WHO, Surgeon General, President, and our governors and mayors. I felt led to post on Facebook last week about this very subject, because people were asking how we should respond to the protests and rumors of conspiracy that were becoming more and more frequent. In that post I quoted 1 Peter 2:13-15, which goes so far as to say that being obedient to the leadership God has established on Earth will serve to silence the “ignorance of foolish people.” The Bible does not pull punches – to act in opposition is not just sin, it is the ignorance of foolish people.

Second, the way your church community conducts itself during the coronavirus outbreak will communicate either a lack of care for the community or it will communicate the care of Christ for the community: “In righteousness you will be established; You will be far from oppression, for you will not fear; And from terror, for it will not come near you” (Isaiah 54:14). We have to remember that our primary job here is to reflect the image of God – to do what Jesus would do. We must lead by example!

Retreating into a private community is not the best Christian response. Although we have been limited by our ability to reach out to the community, we still have opportunities, both direct and indirect.

Directly, we have tried to spread encouragement during this time. We used flyers all over town to remind people that God loves them and that we as a community are praying for them. We have tried to make services available, with free community drive-up dinners which included printed encouraging words for the people being fed. We have worked in the Macon food pantry and set up our own emergency food bank here at the church. There is ample opportunity to serve – all you need to do is show up!

Ultimately, the world is looking at us now to see how we react as some of the dust begins to clear from this situation. As excited as we all are about resuming services in person again – me probably more than anyone else – we have to be sensitive to the fear and uncertainty that will not simply disappear when the quarantine is lifted. We have to start thinking about how we are going to “be about the business of the kingdom” in this new world we are being released into.

Our core social responsibility is the same as it ever was – to love God, love people, and serve both. Part of loving people will mean to respect their concerns and fear over the virus, even if you do not share the same concerns. We need to meet people where they live – just as God does for us on a daily basis.

Act rightly. Serve others according to their needs. Prioritize the health and safety of all in your community’s reach, not only those within your church: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).