Coronavirus
It’s the big scare of 2020. By that, I don’t mean that the virus named for the crown that can be seen on it through a microscope, is not a dangerous threat. It certainly is, and people are dying because of it.There is good reason to be concerned. First, this particular virus (Wuhan Coronavirus) is one that has never been seen before. So it’s new, or at least, new to us. Because of that, we don’t have a vaccination for it or an effective treatment, other than boosting the body’s own immune system. It’s also scary because it seems to be passed from person to person with relative ease. In a place like China, with billions of people living close together, that creates a lot of fear. Thirdly, its symptoms mimic a common upper respiratory infection, so the slightest sniffle can bring on anxiety.Yet, a lot more people are dying from influenza than from this virus. And a lot more people are getting killed on our nation’s roads. Still we all drive. And a lot of us don’t even get the flu shot. These other threats have been around for a while and we’ve learned to live with them, and they no longer cause a lot of fear. But the Coronavirus, that’s new. If someone in our town gets it, many of our neighbors will be staying inside and sealing their doors and windows.Whether it's the Coronavirus, influenza, SARS, driving down the road, or having a heart attack, the ultimate fear will someday become a reality for all of us. Death is a certainty. It's not something any of us will escape, even those who get their flu shot, drive defensively, and stay away from people who are coughing a lot. No matter how careful you are, you are going to die.How’s that for an encouraging blog post!It is encouraging in this…Jesus knew that you would, thousands of years ago. So he came to this planet full of dying life, and gave his own life so that you can escape the fear of death. Not physical death itself, but you no longer have reason to fear it. After Jesus died, he came back to life with the power of God to offer his new kind of life, eternal life, to you. So even if you do get hit by a car or contract a deadly virus, it won’t really be deadly for you. If you embrace Jesus, you get his eternal life. And In heaven, there are crowns, but no viruses to wear them.When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” –1 Corinthians 15:54–55 ESV