“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”

 – John 5:24

Something that I have witnessed over the course of our nation dealing with the threat of Covid-19 is that there is a deep fear of death in our culture.  People panic shopped at the beginning of all this, hoarding toilet paper, sanitary wipes, food, and other household products.  People isolated themselves from all contact with the world.  People, young and old, became more keenly aware of their mortality and many reacted out of fear, whipping themselves into an unsettled mental and emotional frenzy.

Our faith has something to say to this fear…a two-word phrase that Jesus repeated over and over throughout his ministry…Fear Not.  We do not have to fear the grave, because we believe in a Messiah who conquered the grave.  We do not have to fear death, because we worship a Savior who defeated death.  We do not have to fear the pit, for we have a Savior whose resurrection power pulls us all out of the pit.  We believe in the blessed hope of eternal life, and we have confidence and assurance of this hope because Christ has been raised from the dead.
        
Jesus has a major theme in his teachings that through faith we shall not perish (John 3:16), that through faith in him we have eternal life (John 5:24 quoted above), that through faith in him we shall not die but we shall live on forever (John 11:25).  Jesus teaches that in him is life eternal, that in him is resurrection power, that in him we shall be rescued, and that by his power death itself has died and no longer has any sting.
        
The world needs us as Christians to have and share this stalwart hope, to have a resolve about us, a fearlessness.  This does not mean we seek after death or that we don’t take precautions to be safe (death is an enemy of God and not something to be sought out, and our safety precautions are an expression of loving our neighbor…)  However, what it does mean is that in the face of fearful times, we offer hope and calm.  In the face of difficult days, we point to the certainty of a majestic and glorious future.  In the face of a culture losing its mind, we speak the word of a God who is sovereign and in control of our eternal destiny.  In short, when the world fears death, we fearlessly point to the One in whom there is life and life abundant.  Fear not, brothers and sisters, our Lord is alive and with us.
 
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.