Preaching and Covid-19: a time of new opportunities

Preaching does not require a church building with a congregation sitting in pews or on chairs. Nor does it require a pulpit or a lectern. The teaching of Jesus and His apostles on which millions of sermons have been, and will continue to be, preached were first communicated in numerous different ways. The Sermon on the Mount is an obvious illustration. Paul's evangelism on Mars Hill is another as are all are his letters to the churches. The Book of Acts is full of other situations in which the Word of God is made known.

If preaching is anything it is surely about appropriate communication of God's Word in a relevant way. The present pandemic means that all churches in the UK are now closed for public worship and this means that the "traditional" type of sermon preached in them is, for the time being, no longer possible. Although coronavirus is terrible and deadly, to be fought against by all means possible, it is at the same time an opportunity for preachers and local churches to find new ways of communicating and receiving the Word of God.

All sorts of possibilities arise in this unprecedented situation and the article below is one example. It was originally in draft form for a sermon in a local church in SE London. It has now been turned into an article for written publication and for dissemination through the www. The number of those who would have heard the sermon in church was probably just over 100. Now the article is going out to thousands. When did I ever have the opportunity to "preach" to so many?

Looking forward to hearing how others are using this new opportunity.

by Henry Whyte

Coronavirus, Jesus and Lazarus
A Quaker Friend often says that the church is more than the social services. So what might Jesus say about the pandemic that is COVID19?

The Church of England Gospel reading for Sunday 29th March is the story of how Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead. It has much to say about how Jesus saw illness, death and the ultimate purposes of God.

The sisters of Lazarus and others were disappointed that Jesus did not come to heal him. They knew that Jesus had healed many people, sometimes dramatically and instantaneously, and they expected him to do the same for Lazarus. 

Jesus was told that Lazarus was ill but he did not come immediately. He waited until Lazarus had died. Jesus said that his purpose in this situation was greater than physical healing. This does not however mean that Jesus no longer cared for those who were sick. We are told that he was constantly   teaching about the Kingdom of God and healing all kinds of disease.

His followers are to have similar active concerns and the Christian church has been at the forefront in responding to the sick and caring for them. God’s healing power still continues and the Chief Medical Officer advises that most people who are infected by coronavirus will recover and resume their normal lives.  Many will not even know that they have had the disease.

It is a Christian responsibility to do all in our power to prevent the spread of COVID19 and to help those who are suffering by mega disruption to their lives, self isolation or by having caught the infection. That said, it is already a sad reality that some have died and more deaths are expected. Those who were healed by Jesus when he was here on earth did not avoid death and the story of Lazarus  is a reminder that God has not yet abolished it.  The Book of Revelation tells us that it is only on the final day when the old order of things has passed away that there is be no more death or mourning or crying.

The story of the raising of Lazarus is one that demonstrates that Jesus is stronger than death and that his followers will also be the same. He confirms this by His own resurrection on the first Easter Day. It is before Jesus raises Lazarus that he says the famous words “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies.” So the message of Jesus is that physical death is not the end. It is rather  the passing from one kind of life here on earth to the life of eternity in the presence of God. It is the reversal of the saying that the end of this mortal life means going from the land of the living to the land of the dead. In Christian hope it is the opposite, namely going from the land of the dying to the land of the living.

This message of resurrection does not take away all the pains of sickness, the tragedies that surround all the suffering involved in countless human deaths or the profound sense of desolation and loss that is the experience of the bereaved. Contrary to what is said by some preachers, it is a Christian response to grieve deeply at the loss of a loved one. Indeed in the story of Lazarus we find that Jesus wept with others who were mourning his death.

The present pandemic has already brought constant worry, disruption and suffering to countless people. It has placed unprecedented demands on Governments, health services, and businesses. There is hardly an area of our national life that is not affected adversely at this time. It is not an expression of panic to say that many more deaths from COVID19 are to be expected; it is realism.

Christians are never to be those who are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good. We, along with  others of all faiths and none, are to do all that we can to relieve suffering, to aid healing and to help others as best we can in these unsettled times. Perhaps this present crisis will generate a new sense of national unity. Perhaps it will also lead our nation to a rediscovery of the message of Jesus that God’s purposes are not only for this mortal life but for eternity as well.  The story and message of the raising of Lazarus are not  just for one Sunday a year; they are for every day.