You can watch the video of this service at the following links -
Facebook -
https://www.facebook.com/david.p.charlton.9/videos/10164869603845298
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https://vimeo.com/515029531?fbclid=IwAR1Ih4A8hfSd1Zl1GbPs2lGS63tiuE_PqOMNsiCEftQUXjQXXXkEWuG-u-c
I am grateful to be back with you today. I very much appreciate Jordan and David preaching in my absence, and for everyone’s involvement in the worship services.
At the end of January, I completed my most recent series of messages – A New Heart for A New Year. Next week I will begin a new series of messages I have titled Rebooting Life. This morning’s message is somewhat of a bridge to that series, as the title for today is What Will A Post-Pandemic World Look Like?
Obviously, I have no definitive answer to that question. And, I should add, neither does anyone else. But everyone wants to know – when can we once again do all the things the pandemic has kept us from doing? When will schools be fully open? When can we have family gatherings and get-togethers with our friends? When can we have our Fellowship Meals again? When will life be back to normal, and will it be the normal to which we had grown accustomed? Will it be different? Most definitely. Will it be greatly different? Who knows? In what ways will it be different? Who knows?
But aren’t we all wondering about what the world will be like when the pandemic ends (and when it ends is quite a big and unsettled question in and of itself)? We all wish we could envisage what will be different – or the same – about the world when we come out of the pandemic. Obviously, no one can answer the question of what a post-pandemic world will look like with any specificity.
Our Scripture text for today comes from Matthew’s gospel, and the context is one that is not terribly different from the one in which we find ourselves. The context was this – the disciples were curious, and quite concerned, about the future (the Scripture reading comes from a long passage, of which I am using only a small portion. The entirety of the passage fills chapters 24 and 25). We too, are very curious, and concerned, about the future. The disciples lived in a time when the future held more questions than it did answers, as do we.
One of the concerns the disciples had about the future concerned their status as a nation occupied by the Roman Empire. I imagine the disciples were hoping for a word of encouragement from Jesus on this matter, a word that they would soon be free of the shackles of Rome. What Jesus had to say, however, was anything but encouraging.
When reading this passage of Scripture – especially the full text of chapters 24 and 25) it is very important to understand that as Jesus answered the question about the future, he speaks about two future events – the near-term future and the long-term future. In terms of the near-term future, Jesus had some very disconcerting words to offer to the disciples. Hoping, no doubt, that Jesus would tell them that the Romans would either leave – or be expelled from – their land, Jesus instead offered the disciples a very ominous prediction. Jesus spoke about a devastating event that would take place not long after their lifetimes, in the year 70 AD. The Romans, having grown weary of the repeated uprisings and resistance from the Jewish people, destroyed the city of Jerusalem, including the temple. It was an almost total and complete annihilation, ending the existence of Israel, as a nation, until the year 1948.
The second event of which Jesus spoke was the end of all things, when God would bring history to a conclusion. Unlike the end-of-time preachers in our era who feel compelled to set dates, however, Jesus reminded the disciples that no one possessed the knowledge of when that event would take place, including himself (no one knows about the day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father– 24:36). He also provided the reminder that it will take place when no one is expecting it (the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him– 24:44). Not all was discouraging, however, as Jesus also offered these words – Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away(24:35).
Follow along with me as I read some verses from that long passage in Matthew’s gospel. Matthew 24:3-8, 32-35 –
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.
5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.
6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.
33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that itis near, right at the door.
34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
So, in spite of the fact that I said it is not possible accurately predict what the future holds, allow me to offer a few thoughts about the world after the pandemic ends.
1. The post-pandemic world will be an increasingly digital world, and in spite of legitimate concerns about the digital world, churches must embrace it.
I had never heard of Zoom before the pandemic. Never. Heard. Of. It. When it’s over, I’ll be happy to be away from it. If we are away from it.
Let me say this – the digital world is no longer an option for churches; it is a necessity. I do not understand the churches unwilling to embrace the digital world. I understand the shortcomings and problems of the digital world – especially social media – but the pandemic has proven the digital world is a reality that is now indispensable.
The digital revolution is a revolution greater than the printing press, and the printing press revolutionized the world, including the religious world. Can you imagine not having a Bible to read? I remember several years ago, when I began to notice people beginning to look at their phones in worship more than usual, I complained about it once and I received some very interesting responses. One person told me, I’m looking at mine because I’m using my Bible app. Another person said, I was sending out a tweet about something you said in your message. Another person said, I was taking notes on my phone. Okay. Lesson learned. I now use the Bible app on my phone more than I use a printed version. I love the fact that I can carry, in my pocket, almost every version of the Bible. That doesn’t mean I’m in love with the digital world, and I am certainly not in love with my latest version of the iPhone. And just in case Tim Cook – the CEO of Apple – somehow manages to hear this – Mr. Cook, I’d love to tell you what I think is wrong with this phone. For one, using facial recognition as a way to open your phone during a pandemic, when we’re all wearing masks, is a really bad idea. Just bring back the home button, okay? Please? Call me so we can talk about it. 502-939-1299. And please, have your watch stop telling me every single day to check my steps because they are lower than normal. I had Covid, okay. You don’t take many steps when you have Covid. So call me when you have a few minutes, okay Mr. Cook? 502-939-1299. I’m going to get so many prank calls now.
I guess I need to get back to my point. I am very grateful for our livestream. Watching the livestream the past two Sundays made me even more grateful we are able to be online with our worship services. I have heard from churches and ministers on a number of occasions, asking how to do a livestream, and before I say much of anything, they tell me why they can’t do one, such as we don’t have the personnel or the equipment. Well, not everyone has a Wizard like we do – and you can’t have him, by the way – but it doesn’t mean you can’t be online. You need to be online! And if you want a statistic to help convince you, how about this one – the churches with some kind of digital presence last year – YouTube, livestreams, etc. – as a group saw 533% more donations than those without. 533%! Should I say that again? 533%!
(https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/02/the-digital-divide-is-giving-american-churches-hell/)
Now, financial reasons are not our motivation for doing a livestream, let me be very clear about that. Our motivation for doing a livestream is to provide people who cannot be at church the opportunity to worship with their congregation, and to be open to people around our community and beyond to worship with us as well.
2. The post-pandemic world is one in which faith must conquer fear.
When you read through chapters 24 and 25 of Matthew, and your read the words of the disciples, you can sense the fear in their voices. And, to be very honest, they had a lot of reasons to be afraid, just as we do today. If you are worried not only about the future, but about the present, let me say this by way of acknowledgement – you have a right to be worried. There are a lot of reasons to be afraid today, and when we come out of the pandemic, those reasons are not going away. If anything, they are likely to intensify. Being afraid is understandable, but do not – do not – let fear control your life. Faith must conquer fear. It must.
I vividly remember my first trip to Kroger right as the pandemic hit, and the shutdowns began. Do you remember that moment? Do you remember the uncertainty and the fear that you felt? I walked into Kroger and felt as though I had stumbled onto the set of a zombie movie. I didn’t know if I was in Kroger or an episode of The Walking Dead. People were grabbing whatever they could get their hands on, and the fear was so very palpable. I went looking for eggs, and they were long gone. I made several circles around the store, and on one of my circlings, I walked to the dairy section just as they brought out an entire pallet of eggs. Before the guy could cut the plastic wrap around the pallet, people were shredding it and making off with the eggs as though it was a pallet of money free for the taking. I hit that pallet of eggs and went off with a carton under my arm like it was a gold bar. And if it had been a gold bar, I could have purchased a roll of toilet paper. Then I went to the cereal aisle and started grabbing boxes of cereal I didn’t even like. I was grabbing tofu oat cereal and crazy stuff because the Captain Crunch was all gone. So, I got my dozen eggs and whatever else I could and was out of there. As much as I tried to keep my head, the fear in that moment was so real that it was absolutely contagious. I walked into the store nice and relaxed, with my list in my hand, and I came out of there like a character in The Hunger Games.
There is a real fear in groups when uncertainty strikes. One person is fearful, and then you have two people who are afraid, and then three, and the fear increases exponentially. It doubles, and triples, and before you know it, you have a pandemic of fear.
There is going to be uncertainty in the post-pandemic world, because there is always going to be uncertainty. What we have learned is the reality that we are not immune to uncertainty. Science has brought us vaccines, and for that we are all very thankful, but we are still uncertain. Are they effective enough? Will the mutations mean they lose their effectiveness? Who knows at this point?
Here is what we do know – uncertainty is something we have to live with, and there is simply no way around that truth. We have entered into uncharted waters in the history of humanity, and I am not saying that to be dramatic or to create fear. I’m saying it because I believe it to be true. If you are worried, you are not wrong to be concerned. And when we enter into uncharted territory, we need something that is going to guide us through. I believe science can help us, but science cannot solve every problem; in fact, science creates some problems and dilemmas. I’m not a skeptic of science, certainly, and I am grateful for what science is doing to get us through this pandemic. At some point, however, we have to acknowledge that science cannot overcome every challenge and cannot solve every problem. Science will help us through this time, but not without the incalculable losses that we have suffered. We have lost scores of people, the economy has been devastated, and tremendous upheaval has come to our lives and to the world. And what do we do with all the suffering? What happens when we cannot overcome the challenges that the universe throws at us? What happens when the results of those challenges bring us such suffering? I believe – we believe – you better have something else if you are going to overcome it. There is something greater than science. There is something greater than fear. What the world offers can only take us so far, but we have the presence, the promises, and the power of God. God, who created this universe, is the one who will determine the course of history and when history will come to a conclusion. That is what we can hold to. That is the something that, when everything else hits its end and can go no further, will continue, and that is God. Faith will be what conquers fear, faith is what will see us through the remainder of this pandemic, and faith is what will carry us through whatever challenges come next. Jesus told his disciples that while difficult days were coming, they could also be assured that heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. There is one true constant, one true reality, and that is the presence of God in this world and in our lives.
3. The post-pandemic world will need love more than ever.
I realize the title of this message is a bit deceiving, because it asks the question of what the post-pandemic world will look like. Obviously, I have not given much of an answer to that question, so it might have been more accurate if I titled it What the Post-Pandemic World Will Need.
We talk about love so much in our society, and that is great; I am certainly glad that we do. But we see those proclamations about love contradicted with the level of contentiousness that surrounds us. Throughout the pandemic, I have thought about love a great deal. I believed, at the beginning of the pandemic, that such an incredible challenge would pull us together. Those of us who lived through 9/11 – which was not that long ago; twenty years is not that long ago historically but it seems several lifetimes ago in comparison to our context today – remember how it pulled people together. Do you remember the sense of unity, and coming together, that existed in that moment? In the community where we were living at the time, we put together a service for that evening, as I’m sure that happened here in Shelbyville. There was a coming together, as tragedy, and upheaval, and difficulty has historically done. It was a reminder that there is something greater than what divides us, and something that can pull us together to remind us of our oneness. That has not happened in this pandemic. There are glimpses of it, and those glimpses tend to be isolated to the point that when they happen, they become newsworthy.
What has made this past year so difficult is not just the pandemic, but the harsh reality that it has been an unrelenting series of challenges that have frayed our collective nerves. It has pulled at our social fabric in a way unlike anything in my lifetime. I had high hopes at the beginning of the pandemic that it would pull us together. In spite of all the suffering that would come, the pandemic and other challenges would bring out the better angels of our nature, but it has not. Why is that? Are we that divided? Are we that separated? The problem, I believe, is that for all of our talk about love, love remains more of a concept than a reality. When I think about the ministry of Jesus, for instance, I am reminded this has always been the case. In Jesus, after all, was God in human flesh; the Creator entering the creation. What did he do? He healed. He loved. And what happened? He was crucified! Jesus was crucified in spite of the fact that he was the very embodiment of love. Unfortunately, that has been the way of the world for far too long. It doesn’t seem that love is accepted and welcomed, as much as the world claims otherwise. When this is all over, whenever that is, we are going to need love more than ever in this world. There will be so much to put back together. There is much to do for those who have lost so much. People have lost loved ones, their businesses, their homes, and have reached the point where they feel they cannot continue. They need love to help them put their lives back together. But there will be those voices who will push back, and say no, they don’t agree with us, or they are on the other side of the political aisle from us, or whatever the differences may be. There is a narrative now that says if you aren’t like me, if you don’t agree with me, if we are not in agreement about politics or religion then we cannot walk together, we cannot fellowship together, and we cannot be friends. Isn’t that sad? I reject that kind of thinking outright. We don’t have to agree on everything. We can have significant differences, but we must remember that love raises our vision higher, to a higher purpose, to a higher calling, to be able to see beyond what divides us. That’s exactly what Jesus did throughout his ministry, and we are called to do the same. When Jesus said to love our enemies, he gave a very concrete and specific example. Jesus said if a person was asked to go one mile, they should go two. What he was referencing was the requirement that a Roman soldier could compel someone to carry their pack and their equipment for up to one mile. It did not matter if it would make the person late for work or inconvenience them in any way; it was a requirement they were compelled to follow. Jesus said that when they completed that one mile, they should be willing to go on for another mile. Imagine the reaction of his listeners. The despised Romans, the soldiers who occupied their land, and Jesus told his followers to go an extra mile in carrying their pack and equipment. I don’t imagine he got many amensfor that recommendation. For Jesus, loving one’s enemies wasn’t an ivory tower concept; it was a concrete and tangible command. But for love to truly triumph, at some point we have to say, I’m going to lay down my bitterness. I’m going to lay down my hatred. I’m going to lay down all my propensity for division, and no longer say that I cannot walk with others because we disagree. And I’m going to take up a visible expression of love for my enemies. Love is tough, but love is absolutely necessary if our world is going to be better, and do better. And that is the biggest challenge facing us in the post-pandemic world, and it is our calling.
I think we are all a bit uneasy about what the future holds, but let us be hopeful as well, as we know that whatever happens, we remain in God’s hands. Always.
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