The Corona Virus: Two Worlds

Whilst I sit alone in my office space, comprising an upstairs converted bedroom overlooking a main road, I become aware that I am in two worlds that in some ways seem distinct from one another, but in other ways are connected. One world is the 7th Century BC Near East, the time and location of the subject for my exegetical essay assignment based on the biblical account of Amos’ prophetic lament over the ‘Judgement to Come.’ The second world is the one I return to in the present day each time the wailing siren of an ambulance passes my house, probably attending to yet another COVID-19 victim, which causes me to lament over the way in which our world is suffering today. Then with struggling concentration, this interruption causes me to flit over to an online ordination training module on ‘Gender Identity,’ delivered as part of ‘Diversity Week.’ Under normal circumstances this would have been held on campus with the student community at Trinity College Bristol. My online trainer explains in a You Tube video, also clearly filmed in her makeshift home office, the damage caused by gender stereotyping which arises from socially constructed, culturally coded views of what it means to be male or female and I learn how the damage is inflicted on others because we cannot cope with people who do not conform to our narrow and exclusive worldview on what it means to be male or female, so we either marginalise, exclude or oppress them.

Back in the 7th Century BC Near East, the prophet Amos reminds his listeners of the character of God; he reminds them that God has a heart for the poor and oppressed, and challenges the wealthy ‘cows of Bashan who are on Mount Samaria’ (4:1, NRSV)—the ruling authorities in the divided Israelite kingdom. He challenges their worship, which is made meaningless because their lives exploit and oppress, thereby contradicting God’s call as articulated by Amos’ contemporary, the prophet Micah, to ‘do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God,’ (Micah 6:8, NRSV). Amos voices God’s word to Israel: ‘Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream,’ (5:23-24). Whilst Amos warns of pending judgement, there is a point in his oracles up to which there is still hope. Amos desperately wants his people to face the truth about themselves, and his warnings were intended to motivate a change of heart, resulting in Israel becoming the people that God had intended and in relationship with him.

The COVID-19 virus exposes to the whole world, how it is the poor, weak, marginalised and vulnerable members of society who suffer most, often exploited, excluded and ignored by many of us who are too busy building our own nests and social networks to notice. Amos’ oracles illustrate how this was also the case back in 7th Century BCE Israel, as those who were supposedly God’s people worshipped in vain whilst their people were exploited, excluded and ignored. Just as Amos held a mirror to his people back then, the threat of the virus holds up a mirror to us today, and we see ourselves respond in different ways. It may be that we leave our faith and trust in God’s provision behind as we respond in fear causing us to grab what we can while we can, exploiting supermarket shelves to stock up our own nest thereby depriving others, even our carers. Then, as we build a wall around ourselves and hunker down, we exclude those with whom we were intended to be in loving relationship. Alternatively, to satisfy our own social needs it may be that we arrogantly ignore all the advice and warnings given to us, disregarding the impact our COVID-19 footprint has on the most weak and vulnerable as we continue to intermingle in parks and other meeting places, causing more pain and suffering as we spread the deadly virus. However, all is not lost: our third choice is one of true worship to God, in which we offer our lives in faith and trust as we follow the way of Jesus. This leads us to intercede in prayer for the suffering and to protect the vulnerable by laying aside our own needs; to acts of loving service perhaps by blessing others with a friendly phone call or collecting their prescription; or by offering comfort and hope to those who mourn, in which we share the comfort we ourselves have received from the ‘God of all comfort,’ (2 Cor.1:3-5, NIV).

Perhaps as we emerge from Corona lockdown, the impact of seeing the poor, weak, marginalised and vulnerable members of our society suffer the most, and the work pressure placed on healthcare workers and those on low incomes whilst others happily renovate their homes and dig their gardens may cause us to challenge inequality, social exclusion and unjust structures within our society in which we can be complicit. Whilst from within our brokenness we will all exhibit injustice sometimes which sees us exploiting, excluding and ignoring the people that really need our help, this current crisis is nevertheless an opportunity to humbly bow the knee in repentance at the foot of the Good Friday Cross, acknowledging our need for God’s grace seen in Jesus Christ, and prayerfully ask God to show us the truth about ourselves. We could ask him to show us how we may marginalise, exclude or oppress others due to our own often deeply buried prejudices, or how we abuse our privileges or misuse our resources. Then, as we follow the way of the cross, we can both see and therefore challenge injustice in our societies and ourselves. When we do this, we may find ourselves investing our resources for good; defending the poor, weak, marginalised and vulnerable, and as we both share and demonstrate the reason for the hope we have, we work with him to heal our land.