This Easter there is virtually no part of our lives that remains untouched by the current crisis. We face a world of uncertainty. As I lead Wesley Mission I see that the people who are most impacted are those least able to respond.
Another uncomfortable truth is that we are all closer to finding ourselves in need than we had ever thought. My hope is that by becoming aware of our own powerlessness over circumstance, we may find a deeper empathy for those we may have judged in the past.
For the person suffering with mental illness, may our collective experience of anxiety help us to understand something of their struggle.
For the family living in their car, may our present concerns for mortgage and rent payments lead us to support the development of secure, affordable housing.
For the newly arrived migrant or refugee, may our current distance from friends and loved ones remind us to reach out to people in need in our community.
This crisis shows us we are inextricably linked. That our actions affect each other’s lives and our ability to live well. A virus that infects both a prince and a someone sleeping rough on the streets asks us to recognise our common humanity. However, not everyone has the same resources to respond.
If we are united in our frailties, then together we can also find strength to challenge racism in our society, homelessness in our communities and domestic violence in our homes.
Around the globe, seemingly impossible problems can be solved together. Because crises challenge the status quo in way that invites the very best of us into the open through shared political will, a spirit of renewed cooperation and available resources.
Coronavirus challenges our inherent selfishness and reminds us that we must be willing to sacrifice some of our personal comfort and desires for the good of others around us. And that the only true indispensable things in our lives are not things at all, but people.
And so, from the grip of this current crisis we find ourselves with a view of the cross this Easter which gives us a deeper appreciation for the words of Jesus Christ spoken to his disciples: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13 NIV)
So, as we experience a small cost of love for one another to prevent the spread of this sickness, let us remember Jesus’ great love that calls each one of us beyond ourselves, to live in service of others long after this virus has been defeated.
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Rev Keith V Garner AM is available for interview, please contact:
Anne Holt, Senior Public Affairs Officer
0418 628 342
anne.holt@wesleymission.org.au