Fauci Warns Against Lowering Our Guard, Points to What Is Happening in Europe

 

Europe is struggling to contain its third wave of the COVID-19 coronavirus. The spread of the highly infectious UK variant has forced  several regions of Italy to implement a new lockdown. Yet in the United States, which is facing a possible fourth surge in virus infections, states are prematurely abandoning their mask mandates and other restrictions, acting not based on science but politics. 

Community churches can set a good example to their communities, requiring face masks, social distancing, and the use of hand sanitizer,  limiting the the size of gatherings in church building and where they are held, and taking other precautionary measures. They can encourage members of the community to listen to the health experts and to do what is necessary to protect their communities and themselves from further infections. Or they can throw caution to the wind and set a bad example to the community. 

We are all tired of the pandemic and the restrictions that it has placed on the worship, life, and ministry of the local church. However, we should not allow 'covid fatigue' and the drop in cases in some regions make us less cautious. The COVID-19 coronavirus is an opportunistic disease and will take advantage of any opportunities to spread, which we give it. 

Our Lord taught us to be good neighbors to others, not just to the members of our church but also to the members of the larger community. The belief that their faith makes them immune to the virus entertained by some Christians is at its heart a selfish belief. It shows little concern for the well-being of the large community. It does not take into account that God works through the ordinary as well as the extraordinary. 

God does promise to protect those who trust in him. But God does not promise to protect us with a miracle. The devil tempted Jesus with a quote from Psalm 91, urging him to throw himself from the spire of the temple. Jesus refused to put God to the test. We can learn from what our Lord did. 

While Jesus did perform miracles, his response to those who were always demanding a sign from him--some miracle to convince them that he was indeed who he said he was, was to point to the people who were giving heed to what he said. 

There is nothing wrong in putting our faith in God to do what he promised. But we should not forget that God is sovereign and he gets to choose how he goes about keeping his promises. He may protect us with a miracle. Or he may protect us with a face mask and a vaccine and protect others too. 

Below are links to three recent articles on the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The US is now in a vulnerable spot with Covid-19. Don't make the same mistakes Europe did, Fauci says
'Don't make the same mistakes', Fauci warns as Europe struggles to contain its third coronavirus wave
White House races to blunt potential Covid-19 surge