“Do you not know that your bodies are temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.”

                                                                                                1 Corinthians 6:19

We have reached 100,000 deaths in the United States due to COVID-19. The first recorded one was on February 29, which means we have averaged 1,136 deaths per day for 88 days.

100,000 is a number that is hard for us to wrap our arms and our minds around, but let’s try.

If you had one funeral per day for 100,000 days, it would take just under 274 years to bury 100,000 people.

If you took 100,000 people out of Wilmington, NC, it would be less than one-half the size of Burlington, NC.

You’d have to fill Carter-Finely Stadium or Kenan Stadium almost twice to get to 100,000 people. Rhodes Stadium at Elon would take 9 sold-out home games to get to 100,000.

If you went out to eat and spent $25 on a meal, it would take dining out every day for 11 years to spend $100,000.

And yet, as I watched the news on Memorial Day there were people gathered so tightly in a pool that they could hardly move, and none of them had on masks. People were on the beaches and in stores and in restaurants so close they could whisper and be heard. Meanwhile, protestors were holding mass demonstrations (for both sides) and were screaming at each other. It seems that while part of the nation is coming together, some of it is coming apart at the seams. And it’s not an external enemy – the virus – it’s from the inside. It’s our “me first” sense of entitlement.

And worst of all, the response to the whole issue has become political. One party is bashing the other for moving too fast, while the other party denigrates the first party for moving too slow. The courts are getting involved and  lawsuits are being filed. Even the church is split; some favor caution, while others believe that separation of church and state places them beyond the reach of the government which is trying to protect human life. It is, in a word, disheartening.

This virus is not done, not by a long shot. There are many more deaths to come, partly a result of the nature of the virus, but more so a result of lack of common sense. Yes, the economics of it are frustrating. Yes, we are tired of being sheltered in place. But the solution cannot be at the expense of, and with total disregard for, human life. If some people don’t care about their own health, that is their choice. If they feel the urgent need to tempt fate and taunt God and don’t care whether they live or die, so be it.

But the reality is that this is not just about our own selves. In our me first, narcissistic culture, we must stop thinking only of ourselves and realize that our choices affect others. When we place our own selves in danger, we have weighed the personal risk and choose to take the chance. When we do that, however, we place others in danger as well. And that’s not fair to them for they have had no say in the matter.

The Bible says that our bodies are temples for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and we need to honor God with them. Our lives – bodies, souls, spirits - were bought at a price. A steep price. The life of God’s Son.  Are we willing to throw that life away taking unneeded risks? Has the value of human life become that insignificant in our world? Are the 100,000 deaths so overwhelming a number that we really can’t fathom its breadth and depth and therefore we disregard it?

We are God’s – body and soul. It’s time to appreciate His sacrifice and begin acting like we realize the value of the life He has given us.

“Father, Forgive us for dishonoring you with our blatant disregard for human life. Help us to love our neighbor as ourselves and be aware of their lives as well as our own. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Grace,

Rev. Dan