Notes from a Sojourn
May 7, 2020
Who, What, and Whom?
At a recent online summit I attended (virtually) by Wheaton College’s Humanitarian Disaster Institute, retired Anglican Bishop and New Testament scholar N.T. Wright presented a talk titled “What Should a Christian Say About Coronavirus?” I enjoyed listening to Bishop Wright’s personal reflections and benefited from the theological orientation he offered while drawing from his vast knowledge of our scriptures. His words are helping me navigate the daily barrage of statistics, editorial commentary, and political posturing in my newsfeed as well as the theological questions arising from my experience of this global pandemic.
In his talk, Wright brought to the foreground a short episode from The Acts of the Apostles that might easily be overlooked for its brevity: a prophet in the church at the ancient city of Antioch predicts a widespread famine that will affect the whole empire (Acts 11.27). In response, the Christians at Antioch ask three vital questions:
Who is going to be at special risk when this happens?
What can we do to help?
Whom shall we send?
These believers do not ask what sin among them is “causing” this disaster or pronounce this news to be a sign of God’s impending judgement of non-believers. They do not engage in a blame game by picking targets to discriminate against such as foreigners, political opponents, or even a global superpower. Instead, these Christians discern a vocation for themselves in their time of crisis. Attentive to what the Spirit is revealing to the eyes of their hearts, they discern how to be the Body of Christ in their situation:
“The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers living in Judea; this they did, sending it to the elders by Barnabas and Saul” (Acts 11.29-30).
Have you discerned a vocation for yourself in our current crisis? According to your ability, whom might you talk with, pray with, feed, clothe, and share your hope with at this time?
I leave the last word to Bishop Wright: “Who is at most risk or need, and what can we do, and whom shall we send? Those are great questions to ask at every stage of the crisis which we’re in right now.”[1]
Colin+
[1] N.T. Wright, What Should A Christian Say About Coronavirus? A Proposed Way for Christians to Look, Think, and Act During COVID-19 Spiritual First Aid Summit, 2020. https://www.spiritualfirstaidsummit.com/enjoy-the-summit.
Photo Credit: Carole Raddato. Date: July 9, 2017. https://www.flickr.com/photos/carolemage/35845225840/in/photostream/
Below is a photo of the 11th century facade on the cave church of Saint Peter in modern day Antakya, Turkey, the site of the ancient Greek city of Antioch:
“The church was established in a natural cave of 13 metres wide and 7 metres high, and it is believed to be used by Saint Peter…The Church of St. Peter was inscribed in the Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage in 2011. The partially visible floor mosaics from the 5th century and the traces of frescoes on the wall adjoining the altar, indicate the previous glory of the Church. However, majority of the mosaics and frescoes were adversely affected over the centuries due to the physical conditions. As the Church was from an era when Christians had to worship in secrecy, an escape tunnel was built to provide an exit in case of a raid, which is still visible, right next to the altar.
The façade of the Church was originally built at the end of the 11th century, while Crusaders dominated the Antioch region. During the construction, the church was enlarged and connected to the façade with two arches. The present day façade was rebuilt by the Capuchin Friars in 1863 by the order of Pope Pius IX, which was financed by the French Emperor Napoleon III.”
from: https://www.goturkey.com/attractions/cave-church-of-saint-peter
