by Pastor Allen Walworth

“This is not the end, nor even the beginning of the end, but perhaps it is the end of the beginning.”
Winston Churchill, 1942

Like so many of his speeches during the dark and threatening years of World War II, this quote from Churchill continues to stir the soul. He offered this phrase after the British forces had finally won a battle in Northern Africa against the German army. It was their first significant victory, and understandably the beleaguered British were ready to have something to celebrate. But Churchill knew it was too soon to throw a victory party, because there was still much more to suffer and much to fight, before victory would be won. And of course, he was right. To win any great conflict or contest we must be willing to persevere to the end, to stay the course, to summon all of our patience and endurance. We cannot fall to the temptation to proclaim victory, and to let up, too soon.

Here we are in a siege against another global enemy, this time an invisible virus that can take our breath away. We have endured a few weeks of sheltering in place, with closed businesses and restaurants and beaches, and watched the TV scenes from the “hot spots” where the battle with the virus is in full measure. And we wonder, how long will this last? Hasn’t this gone on long enough? We can be impatient creatures, can’t we? And there are encouraging signs that medical and scientific advances will help turn the tide of the battle. But it appears that we must recalibrate our hearts and hopes to realize that this is not a brief skirmish. It is a much more protracted struggle.

May God give us the steadfast endurance and patience and hope to persevere until this crisis is past. May this Scripture (Romans 15:4, NRSV) be our watchword, “What God has written is for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and the endurance taught in scripture we might have hope.” Keep the faith, dear friends, and let the faith keep you.