We awoke Friday to news that the stock market was soaring.One stock in particular was leading the way. A physician shared preliminarynews on Thursday that Remdesivir, a drug made by Gilead Sciences had shown somepromise in treating COVID-19 in a clinical trial through the University ofChicago Medical Center. Investors were ecstatic, and the headlines blazed.
Of course by mid-morning a more sober series of stories were printed, reminding the readers that this was partial news of one study, in one hospital, with a small group of selected patients, and without a control group for comparison.
We are looking for the end of this crisis. We are looking for the curve to flatten, and for the number of deaths each day to decrease. We understand that those points of data will not announce an immediate return to the way things were, but we see them as a sign. A sign perhaps of what Winston Churchill said early in World War II: “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
We know that a vaccine is a long ways off, and can’t imagine living like this for the time it will take for that to come. So now we are praying for some miracle treatment or cure. And there are hundreds of studies going on right now to find effective treatments or cures. I suspect that news like that shared last week will become more and more common in the days and weeks ahead. One of these, I pray, will actually be proven, in time, to be true!
That makes this a very dangerous time. It is our nature to look for an easy answer, a quick cure, some way for us to get out of the messes of our lives. In a time of crisis we will be tempted to follow anyone who promises what we so desperately want to hear. The problem is that so many of these hopes, so many of these prophets, will turn out to be false. And when we follow them, or allow ourselves to put trust in them, we fall into even greater despair when they do not live up to their promise.
This is exactly what Jesus warns the disciples (and us) about regarding “The End Times” and his return in glory:
When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, “I am the Messiah!” and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. (Matthew 24:3-6)
Jesus doesn’t tell us to be without hope. In fact he tells us to anticipate the goodness of God (“be watchful” is the translation of the term he uses). He helps us to know that the end will come, but it won’t be on our timeline, or even His! He offers us the comfort and resilience of a deep and abiding faith: a confidence that God is at work even now, which allows us to weather the highs and lows of the news cycle.
So let us celebrate the fact that so many are at work to find a cure, to find an effective treatment, to find a vaccine. Let us celebrate and honor those who are working so hard to care for those who are ill. Let us mourn with those who have lost loved ones. Let us continue to reach out in all the ways we appropriately can, to care for those in need in this time of crisis. And let us continue to do our part to keep bending the curve.
God, we thank you for the resilience of faith. Keep us strong even when we feel that all is lost or when our hopes are dashed. Temper our rush to judgement, whether that be to vilify or unduly worship. Let us laugh with those who celebrate and cry with those who mourn, knowing that you alone are our source and our end. We pray this in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Pastor George