๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐โฆ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐. ๐ถ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐: โ๐ณ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โ. โ ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ 5
As an epidemiologist whose work is motivated greatly by my faith, my career has been anchored around helping the most vulnerable. Iโve often called the field of epidemiology, โthe field of the Good Samaritanโ. (And interpreting the data through that lens). During the current pandemic, we know who the vulnerable are โ and, we also know what it means to not walk on by.
What if the greatest expression of faith we can give to the world includes not walking by? Maybe the harvest is ripe and weโre missing the opportunity?
๐พ๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐?
That means doing what the Good Samaritan did โ He inconvenienced himself to serve.
๐พ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐?
Without Jesus, the tools of wearing a mask and staying home can feel like an infringement of freedom. However, when we let Jesus redefine freedom according to the greatest act of self-less love at the Cross โ perhaps our witness is more than we could have ever imagined.
๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐
.
Masks and physical distancing do not hinder our freedom or show fear. But, rather could be the strongest symbols of the Cross and Galatians 5 we can give to the world.
๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ, ๐ฅ๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐:
1) ๐พ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐? What if we let it be a statement of faith not fear? What if itโs not an infringement of our freedom, but rather a statement of freedom through the Cross? What if wearing a mask can become an overflow of mercy displayed on the Cross because it loves and protects my neighbor?
Itโs a perspective shift.
2) ๐พ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐? Not forever, but one of the acts of faith we can have as churches is to stay online when cases are increasing (I would consider this being in areas with positivity rates over 8-10%). When cases are on the rise, the risk of spread in enclosed spaces is greater, even with masking and good physical distancing measures in place. Singing in enclosed spaces adds another layer of risk (see other church resources below). For a time, what if we did what we could in the church to be a part of the solution?
Please know I say all of this with great care as a person who loves the Lord, who has always loved the church, is married to a pastor, and believes deeply in the value of what the church is and can be.
๐๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐ซ๐๐๐ญ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ, ๐๐ง๐๐ก๐จ๐ซ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐๐ฒ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐. ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ. ๐๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐๐ญ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ-๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ.
๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ก ๐๐๐ง ๐ญ๐๐ค๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐-๐๐, ๐ฐ๐ก๐ฒ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก? ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ-๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฑ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฌ๐ค ๐จ๐ซ ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐.
For other church resources, see:
1) How to navigate church in a pandemic based on data.
https://tinyurl.com/y9gpyte2
2) Who is the neighbor?
https://tinyurl.com/y9ykykve
3) What about singing?
https://tinyurl.com/y9vcnhco
4) Other good articles.
https://tinyurl.com/yb4s3w6c
– Friendly neighbor epidemiologist
*Praying Psalm 91 and living Galatians 5