by Pastor Doug Pratt
America has faced two great national crises in the 21st century that came to us from outside our land (and one crisis that was largely self-made, the financial recession of 2008). The two external crises have been the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 and the great coronavirus pandemic of 2020. The differences between our national reactions are important to notice.
Though it has been nearly 19 years, my memories of the aftermath of the four plane crashes on 9/11 are still vivid. The initial response across the country was a natural emotion of fear; we all wondered if this was just the start of a wave of terror attacks that would strike Americans. Travel was immediately cancelled, people felt drawn to be with those they love, businesses and the stock market plunged, and the government scrambled to react. But there was also a strong impulse among people of all levels of church involvement to turn to the Lord, get back to church, and re-examine their lives through a different perspective. Americans were angry at the enemy for its unprovoked attack. Patriotism soared and flags flew. Volunteers rushed to Ground Zero in Manhattan to help with the rescue and clean-up. Thousands enlisted in the military to defend our freedom. Even Congress showed a unity of purpose, singing God Bless America together on the Capitol steps. It was a time when, through our grief and shock and fear, we came closer together.
The current crisis has played out quite differently. Though the pandemic is caused by another external enemy, our foe is not other human beings but an unthinking microbe. Nobody has been waving flags or singing patriotic songs in defiance; it is difficult to direct righteous anger at something that has no will. Though the pandemic has brought most of America to a dead stop just as September 11 did, the disruption of ordinary life looks like it will last much longer. And though our leaders remind us that “we are all in this together,” the curious result of this war against a vicious enemy has not been to pull us closer but to separate us more. We are, sadly, afraid of one another (because we don’t know if our friend or neighbor is an unwitting carrier of a disease that might be dangerous to us). And so we have moved apart.
It is this fracturing or dividing of us from one another that I believe is more dangerous in the long term than financial or medical consequences. We will eventually find a cure for the disease and develop a vaccine. We will be better prepared for the next epidemic. Some businesses will close but others will thrive; world travel and commerce will resume. But our human relationships are, and always have been, the most important component of life.
That’s why we not only need the Lord in our lives (to calm our fears and to give us patience, faith, and the right eternal perspective on our current problems). We also need the Church, the family of God, who are all sons and daughters of the same Perfect Father. I am so thankful that technologies developed over the past three decades can now be used to keep us together even though we are forced to be physically apart. Though the writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews could never have imagined our world, he wrote wisely to us in words that echo down through the centuries: “Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but let us encourage one another all the more” (Hebrews 10:25).
When we see the green light to resume social gatherings, I encourage you to make a renewed dedication to regular weekly worship, and to other Christian gatherings like Bible studies and volunteer work. In the meantime, be part of our electronic community as much as you are able. You will not only stay close to your Lord, but you will feel that necessary connection to your spiritual family. We were created to need one another!