I love irony, and I delight in seeing ironic situations play out. Better yet is when those who are engaging in the ironic behavior don’t see what they’re doing.
I happened to be driving down a 2-lane street one block off of the downtown grid in our sleepy little town. This was completely unintentional. My route took me past one of the Baptist churches in our town, a notoriously conservative congregation. In front of their church was their regular, permanent church sign with 2 Chronicles 7:14 which reads, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Another, newer, temporary sign announced “Worship Sunday at 10:30 in parking lot or sanctuary.”
I think I get where they were going with this Bible verse. Our land is in need of healing from the coronavirus and political divisions. It’s in need of healing from corrupt, violent cops and paid rioters and looters who are trying to foment more division. We can all agree that our land needs healing to various degrees, though we may not all agree on a diagnosis.
This verse is powerful, but it doesn’t just quote God as saying, “I will forgive their sin and heal their land.” No. There’s something we have to do first. The very first thing we have to do is humble ourselves.
The opposite of humility is pride. It’s pride that puts ourselves first and our wants first.
Pride refuses to wear a mask because it’s “inconvenient,” “a violation of my rights,” or “a violation of my freedoms as an American.” Humility wears a mask to protect other people from viruses the person may be unknowingly carrying.
Pride insists that we have to be in church together. Humility practices patience to keep vulnerable members of the congregation healthy.
Pride demands its way when it comes to having church services. Humility understands that we are the church and can do church outside the walls.
Pride puts itself first while humility puts others first.
The chronicler straight-up tells us that we have to put other people first. That comes before praying. It comes before seeking God. It comes before repenting. Humbling ourselves–putting our pridefulness aside–is the first step to God doing God’s part. (I love this verse, because it’s two sermons in one–one 4-pointer, one 3-pointer. Good for two consecutive Sundays.)
If we want God to heal our land, we have got to humble ourselves enough to put others first. We have to wear our masks to prevent spreading the virus to other people out of our God-called love for them. We have to keep at least six feet away from people if we’re unmasked. We have to squelch our insistence on having our own way when it comes to church. We have the right to be Christians, to tune into online worship (even at other churches if we want!), we have the right to read our Bibles, we have the right to be the church. We do not have the right to gather for worship when Christian charity deems it unsafe to do so. Insisting on worshiping in unsafe times is prideful. Practicing self-control is humble.
Know what else is humble? Following the biblical command to follow laws and rules we may not agree with. Whether we are “rendering to Caesar what is Caesar’s” (aka, paying taxes) or following the law of the land, the Bible is explicit on what we are to do. While I have no problem with our governor’s order to wear a mask, I realize others don’t feel the same. However, those same people who refuse to wear masks will tell you that they love the Bible, love God, and love others. They may even tell you they live by the Word, obeying every word it says. I get it. But it’s not about us now. It’s about others, the people we’re told to love.
