In many places, the Bible says, "Don't be afraid."
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6
...fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
The Christian life is a life that's meant to be lived unafraid. The gospel message brings peace and comfort to the anxious soul. Yet I've heard messages recently that could and probably were meant to make me afraid.
I've heard that this pandemic is being used to bring us to a one-world government that will further control our lives. I've heard that soon we'll all be required to get an identifying tattoo or an embedded chip that contains information about us.
The message is a warning to Christians. And that message is, "Beware. This is the mark of the beast. It's coming."
Now I don't discount that there's evil in the world, that demonic forces are at work, and that governments want to control how people live and think. But this is just fear-mongering, because it's an incomplete message.
First, our Lord has given us governments and rulers to keep order in society. And we have to live and navigate within that realm. Often the rule we live under is unfair, oppressive, and hard for the Christian. But again, the Lord is in control; He's not oblivious to this, and He gives us faith to make it through.
But second and more importantly, my salvation doesn't hinge on my being able to figure-out the "mark of the beast." In my baptism, I was marked and sealed as a child of God. That's my mark.
And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
My salvation is secure with the cross, the empty tomb, and the risen Jesus - my Lord, the One who's ascended to the throne of power. That's my faith, my hope, and my comfort.
This whole tattoo/chip idea reminds me of years ago, when entering a theme park, how you'd get an invisible ink stamp on your hand so that you could reenter the park. And this "mark" didn't and doesn't affect my soul or change my heart.
But faith in Jesus has and does affect my soul. Jesus referred to the Jewish leaders as "white-washed tombs." On the outside, they looked good; but on the inside, they had a heart of stone. It's their heart that was marked.
And my Lord looks at my heart. It's a sinful heart that He's taken and pierced with His Word of truth, with the reality of my sin and the comfort and the reassurance of His forgiveness and love. He's taken my heart of stone and given me a heart of flesh. And He's said, "Fear not."
Peace
I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I
give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be
afraid. John 14:27
It's called "the new normal" - life during this pandemic. And when the stay-at-home order is lifted and everyone starts venturing out, then we'll have a "new, new normal."
And although "new normal" is a fitting phrase, I don't like it, because it implies something "not so good" - something that I'm going to have to adjust to.
So I've been thinking about another "new normal" - the one that matters to me.
For the Christian the "new normal" actually began in the Garden of Eden. It began when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, broke their relationship with Him, and were thrown out of the garden. But here's the thing, God promised them that One would be born who would restore that relationship and fix everything, fix what sin, Satan, and death had taken away.
All throughout the Old Testament, God's people lived this "new normal" - looking for and waiting for the Messiah, the One who would restore their relationship with their God. It was reiterated to Abraham and spoken of by the prophets. It was on their minds, and the people were reminded of it in how they lived and especially in their many sacrifices. Until...
...when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. Galatians 4:4-5
Another "new normal" - a better one. With the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, the kingdom of God had come to earth! And the realization and the significance of this "new normal" first became clear when Jesus's empty tomb was discovered and then later with the coming of the Holy Spirit.
And that's the Christian's "new normal" - a treasure that was given to each one of us when we were baptized and given faith. It's a "new normal" of forgiveness of sin, of receiving the Holy Spirit, of faith and hope in salvation and eternal life.
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. Romans 6:3-5
And when this pandemic is dying away, when people are out working again, shopping, socializing, no matter how weird or difficult it may be, I'm praying that my "new normal" will be to "walk in newness of life" and to know that the "new normal" of being a Christian surpasses every other "new normal" and every situation I face.
Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:13-14
I hate to shop. During my homeschooling years, my middle son and I would go on a grocery shopping trip every three weeks. We each had a list, we'd get two carts, and we'd go off in opposite directions, zooming through the store and filling our carts. About 10 minutes later, we'd meet up and check out. On the drive home, we'd always share a cherry coke or iced coffee.
These days I'm shopping once a week, I'm alone, and I'm wearing a face mask. And because of "social distancing" I can't even zoom through the store. Fortunately my grocery store hasn't been crowded, and I've always found the items I needed...until yesterday.
Yesterday, the meat section was practically empty. No chicken and no beef except for ground beef.
Now we are in no ways starving or lacking for food. But when I see empty meat shelves, I start to think, "What if this continues? What will I fix?"
It reminds me of how the Israelites, God's people, felt when they were in the wilderness, concerned that they weren't going to be fed. The Israelites knew the Lord provided for them, they'd seen His provision, yet they still doubted.
Most of us, in this land of plenty, have never faced a food shortage. I recall gas shortages and lines in the '70s, but that's about it.
And I can't help comparing this possible lack of food and daily supplies to my inability to attend Sunday worship.
My weekly "Ten Commandments - Prayer and Confession" devotion says this:
Help me to worship knowing that all is a gift from You.
Being able to attend weekly worship services, to hear God's Word, to hear His forgiveness of sins, to "take and eat" the Lord's Supper, to be encouraged by fellow Christians, to pray together - it's all a gift from the Lord.
Like the empty meat shelves, I'm deprived of seeing this site on Sunday mornings and of participating in worship at my church, of receiving God's gifts.
This week, I noted this prayer from Psalm 60 in the Lutheran Study Bible.
When we face defeat, O Lord, keep our eyes on Your promises. When we experience loss, keep our hearts filled with Your peace. When we don't understand Your plan for us, keep the cross of Christ always before us - the depth and breath and height of Your love for us. Amen.
And as I pray, Psalm 43 comes to mind:
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God. Psalm 43:5
