Some people have already said, "no" to the pandemic vaccine. "I'll wait." By that, they have chosen whatever outcome is "not the vaccine." This isn't the first generation do that, but what is different?
We rarely see entire nations of people united in common cause or belief for an extended period of time. Certainly, there's been shared outrage and condemnation of cowardly terrorist attacks in recent decades, on anyone's soil. Heartbreak for school and mall shootings. Generosity and volunteerism for natural disaster recovery from hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunami's.
Much of that is basic human empathy and compassion for someone else's suffering. It doesn't have to happen to you to imagine the hurt. Most of us can at least conceive the implications of loss, death, hunger, illness and emotional suffering. That's what informs how we pray and volunteer and support others who fight their way through grief and recovery.
But the global pandemic isn't somewhere else, or somebody else. We are all experiencing it in real time. Worry, separation, frustration - even sickness and death. Billions of people simultaneously yearning for "it" to be over.
Some simple things were universally adopted. I'm impressed by the enormity of entire continents of people donning masks. Sure there's some drama and disagreement on deployment, but still -- overall, we've seen hundreds of millions of people adopt a single idea to combat a common threat. It's taken unbelievable coordination and cooperation. Unprecedented in our lifetime.
And now that the vaccines are coming out, we'll soon see everyone inoculated under the same common cause. Or will we? No judgement from me, but some friends and family are choosing to wait and see how well the first round of 2021 vaccines work. Others say they may skip vaccination altogether if the tide turns and the pandemic wanes. Even after stark months of fear and anxiousness, hoping and praying for a cure - the once inevitable and unified response to the common threat is giving way to measured debate and delay.
Isn't that just like sin? We are unified in our human condition. The bible says, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. It is a global pandemic of our fallen nature. A common threat with a commonly available solution. Jesus said, "Repent and believe the Good News." Mark 1:15. The cure. The remedy. The antidote available to all in the comfort of their home. Right here, right now. "Would you like to receive it? There are no age or employment priorities."
In His widely distributed open invitation, Jesus said, "Whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." John 5:24
No judgement from me either as some friends and family - and hundreds of millions of others - have said no to Jesus, or "I'll wait and see." They've chosen "whatever is not Jesus." Whatever is not repentance or placing faith in God. You can see the parallels: We are in the midst of a devastating global pandemic and yet people are willing - not capriciously, but having weighed their options - to indefinitely delay their decision on the Covid vaccine. Similarly, we have only to look around the same societies and see the devastation of centuries of untreated sin -- violence, abortion, poverty, selfishness, hate, pride.
Having desperately asked, "what can we do about our crumbling moral framework?" and with the cure available for distribution, entire nations choose to dismiss and punish open discussion of saving Grace - the healing answer to those super-spreading societal ailments. "We'd rather wait and see if the pandemic wanes..." While the infrastructure of distribution - the church - stands ready to help, and is largely ignored or ridiculed.
I heard Billy Graham say at each of the stadium gatherings I attended, "You may never have another opportunity like this. Right here in this place is the love and support of these hundreds of volunteers and those you came with. You might walk home tonight and be struck by a car, or be stricken by illness. I hope not, but we don't know. Come now. God loves you. You have but to repent of your sins and receive Him. Come now."
What do you believe?
