living and dying in the time of covid-19
David J. Schuman | APRIL 29, 2020 | 2 MIN READ
“What are the things you’re most afraid of?”
My friend’s counselor asked him that question, and it’s a good one because the answer reveals what you treasure. Are you most afraid of failure or rejection? That may mean recognition or acceptance are what is most important to you. Are you most afraid of financial loss? Comfort may be an idol.
I’m a pastor in New York City, and my wife is a nurse at a hospital here, working on a floor for COVID-19 patients. As someone in the epicenter of the pandemic, I see fear everywhere.
Restaurants and shops, once full of people, are boarded up, and the normally bustling streets of Midtown Manhattan where I live have become an eerie desolation. While the virus also threatens economic loss, social isolation, and more, its only real power is over our physical health. Any other suffering it brings comes only from our reaction to it.
So ask yourself, as COVID-19 rages on, are you afraid of death?
To Die Is Gain
Each day, the possibility of death stares us in the face. Every news headline reminds us of our vulnerability, and nearly every facet of our lives has been affected in one way or another by the pandemic. If all we have is this life, it makes sense to fear death. Death signifies the end, and in the case of COVID-19, terrible suffering will precede it.
But if we believe, with the apostle Paul, that “to depart” is to “be with Christ” (Philippians 1:23), then far from being something to dread, death is our greatest gain.
In fact, Paul says, to die is “far better” than remaining in the flesh (Philippians 1:23). It’s emphasized strongly in the original Greek. A more literal translation could be, “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is much more better.” When confronted with the possibility of death, Paul said, “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
Is that your perspective? I know it’s not always mine.
If you fear death, what does that reveal about you? Do you desire more to be with friends and family on earth than to be with Christ in paradise? Are you more concerned with what you can accomplish in this life than the reward that awaits you in the next? Do you prefer the familiarity of this life over the uncertainty of death?
The next time you feel that fear rushing to your chest, let it drive you to prayer. Ask God to show you what is causing your fear. And ask him to replace that fear with the comfort that comes from trusting that death does not mean the end. It means being with our tender, loving Savior.
Our sin has brought death and suffering to this world, but Jesus Christ took on our sin, died on our behalf, and rose victorious. Christians everywhere celebrated that resurrection on Easter Sunday, and that same resurrection is offered to you. In the midst of the day’s turmoil, find peace by meditating on this promise: To depart is to be with Christ.
To Live Is Christ
Paul also shows us the attitude we should have should we continue in this life. If death is nothing to be afraid of, then we can live today not with fearful self-preservation, but in selfless service to God and others.
Instead of hoarding toilet paper, give some to a sick or elderly neighbor. If you’ve been able to keep your job, donate part of your next paycheck to your local food bank. If you’re healthy, give blood. “The nation’s blood supply faces a dire shortage.” Given the supply levels, you can almost certainly save a life.
We live not to advance our own wealth, status, or happiness. We live first and foremost for Christ. Paul says, “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account” (Philippians 1:23-24). For himself, Paul would much prefer to die and be with Christ, but he’s convinced God will have him continue in this life so that he can serve others and so bring glory to God (Philippians 1:26). If God gives you breath again tomorrow, ask him to give you that same ambition.
Let us live in this uncertain time with an unusual faith and purpose. Unafraid of death, let us look outward and serve in a time of great need. The church has a tremendous opportunity in this time to be a light to the world (see my article, “COVID-19 and Our Opportunity”).
Most of all, let us demonstrate to the world the hope we have in Christ by looking death in the face not with fear, but with hopeful expectation. Let us boldly declare, “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
David J. Schuman is a pastor at Exilic Church in New York City. He has a M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary and is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). He and his wife Meifung live in Midtown Manhattan.