History is no stranger to pandemics and plagues. Most of us learned about the Black Plague of the Middle Ages. But long before that, the Roman and Byzantine empires were ravaged by pandemics over the centuries. From the Antonine to the Cyprian to the Justinian Plagues, millions of lives were lost, and countless others affected.
What intrigues me, however, is what happened to the Church during those periods. Christianity EXPLODED. In fact, these pandemics were one of the main catalysts for the early Church’s growth. How Christians navigated disease, suffering, and death had such an impact on these empires that the Church grew exponentially. Let’s zoom in for a moment to a particular moment in history.
Julian was the Roman Emperor from 361 to 363. Very much against Christianity, Julian attempted to revive traditional Roman and Greek religious practices. In an attempt to curb Christianity, Julian established pagan charities that mimicked the work of Christians. In a letter dated 362, Julian complained that the growth of Christianity was due to their “benevolence to strangers, their care for the graves of the dead, and the holiness of their lives.” He also stated, “It is a disgrace that the Christians not only support their own poor, but ours as well.” Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, wrote, “There is nothing remarkable in cherishing merely our own people... but that one might do something more... overcoming evil with good and practicing a merciful kindness like that of God, should love his enemies as well. Thus good was done to all men, not only the household of faith.”
Imagine with me for a moment: In one of history’s darkest times, Christianity was a light that shone brightly. Christians not only loved and served sacrificially for their fellow believers, practically demonstrating the love of Jesus by caring for the needs of their own communities, but also for the entire world. And the world was changed!
What might God want to do through us—his Church—in light of the current global pandemic? How will our response to COVID-19 be remembered in history?
Prayer of Blessing
(by Dan Erickson)
How can we bless in times of disease,
we who are natural spreaders, our lives
dedicated to pandemics of health—
holding back is strange to us. We are huggers,
hand shakers, kissers of both cheeks. Our
greetings are stunted in this plague.
We are crossers of paths, of borders, we
embed ourselves, many of us.
We are foreign bodies,
we long to be pathogens of purity.
How do we bless in these days?
We bless as we always have—with
love balanced on wisdom,
in defiance of both negligence and fear.
So I bless you—
spreaders of the gospel in Jesus’s name,
with noses sensitive to opportunity,
able to discern accurately where
love must be applied in our neighborhoods,
in our atmospheres.
I bless you in Jesus’s name with the easy
breath of God's Spirit, wholesome,
pure, and deeply good,
who comforts and drives
us to comfort, who
ministers and drives us to minister.
I bless you in Jesus’s name with the
wisdom of your lives—that they will be
neither wasted nor left unspent.
And may God, who inhabits all times
both before and after safety,
before and after illnesses,
before and after death,
advance his Kingdom.
May it be a breath of healing in our world,
the natural exhale of the gospel
that we spread.
Questions for reflective prayer
Quiet yourself before the Lord. Take a few moments to become aware of how you are entering this time of prayer. How are you doing emotionally? Physically? Mentally? Spiritually?
Next, become aware of God looking on you in love. How is Jesus attending to you today? The Holy Spirit? Take a few minutes to just rest in the love of God.
Enter into a conversation with God around COVID-19. How has it affected you? What are your thoughts and feelings surrounding it and all of the implications? What are your disappointments or fears? What are the losses that you mourn?
What does God want to say to you about this? How might he be asking his Church to respond to the global pandemic? What is his specific invitation to you? How can you best represent Christ?
Close your prayer time in gratitude to a God who redeems suffering, who is sovereign over all, who comforts those who mourn, who sees every sparrow that falls, and who holds all things in his hand.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Dan and Annie Erickson live in Pretoria, South Africa. They are a part of Novo's Ethne collective and minister to churches and church leaders in the region. In addition to their work in South Africa, Annie is the Care Team Director for Ethne staff around the world, and Dan is a member of the Prime Creative prayer team.