Messenger April May 2020

7 MESSENGER APRIL MAY 2020
SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS
Washing hands is now one of the most
talked about areas of hygiene. 20 seconds
minimum washing or the equivalent of
singing happy birthday twice.
The Coronavirus has been a daily news item
for months, with the result that fear is
spreading more rapidly than the disease itself.
How things have changed from the preoccupation with Brexit to the
Coronavirus. Coming to terms with something that is hidden from view can
cause us to become worried and anxious. Every sniffle and cough in our minds
spell danger. At the time of writing there is talk of banning large gatherings and
quarantining the elderly. Church services are being revised and some are being
cancelled. We live in very unusual times.
I don’t know who first said, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”, but you won’t
find that phrase in the Bible. Ritual washings are practised by many religions, but
they often signify spiritual cleansing, not physical sanitisation. Piety isn’t a
substitute for hygiene, nor vice versa.
As Christians and good neighbours, following the advice given on page three and
drawn to Matthew’s words in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6. 25 – 34),
Jesus challenged his followers to live each day fully and not be afraid. Every time
we are tempted to give in to fear, we need to make a conscious choice to respond
in trust and openness.
Thinking of the Ebola epidemic, which swept through regions of Africa from
2014 onwards, more than one in three sufferers died from that virus, but there’s
now a vaccine which can be used when Ebola threatens. Past influenza
pandemics have been nowhere near as severe. ‘Asian Flu’ in 1957 led to 3,550
deaths in England and Wales, or something like 2.4% of actual cases.
This virus was first publicised by Doctor Li Wenliang, who was detained and
censured by the Chinese police for “spreading false rumours”. Although he
himself subsequently died of the disease, there can be no doubt that his courage
saved many lives. As for the people of China where the virus originated, the
Bishop of Newcastle, Christine Hardman, tweeted a Sri Lankan poster, which
shows the right Christian attitude. It says, “HATE THE VIRUS, NOT THE
CHINESE. Let’s pray for them instead”. Amen. And do wash your hands.
Editor: Part of this article is written by the Ven John Barton.
We are well aware that things are changing rapidly but felt the need to comment.
Front page photo by ed: The flowers of Israel Habiscus - Illustration thesun.co.uk