As a bloke given a job to lead a bunch of people, one of the issues facing me at the moment is the whole ‘coming out of COVID-19’ process.

Everything from how we meet as a church community through to practical hygiene issues into the areas of legislation and insurance are covered, and even which door we can use to enter the church building! And, that isn’t even stretching into our personal whims and wishes!

As I was reflecting on the whole process the other day, I was struck by how convoluted, painful and complicated this will be.

That is a fact across our nation, state and shire.

It is a fact within family groups, businesses, education and medical care. It is a fact that affects our livelihoods, our recreation, and our private family time (whoever thought we would have a Mother’s Day like the one just passed?)

As I chat with teachers, medical professionals, parents and grandparents, as well as my own family, I am almost overwhelmed by the complexity of it all.

Moreover, it was brought home to me that the entrance into our version of ‘lockdown’ was very quick and even easy (without downplaying its immense personal and social impact). But the exit out of the same place will be far more painful and tricky.

To shut things down is easy, but to open them up will be difficult.

It will require intervention – some level of directive leadership across community and political spectrums.

It will involve a lot of trust – trusting that people know what they are doing, and trusting each other to be thoughtful and wise.

It will involve sacrifice – a level of giving up for the sake of the greater good.

In fact, when I thought of it in these terms, the whole ‘coming out of COVID-19’ process is remarkably similar to the Bible’s description of humanity, human history and the account of Jesus Christ.

Getting into the mess of a broken world didn’t take much.

In the Biblical account, it just took humans thinking that they could do a better job than God.

But getting out of that mess – well, that is the account of the whole rest of the Bible!

It takes intervention – God committing and stepping in to give leadership and direction to humans who thought they knew better.

It takes sacrifice – God intervening by sending his Son, Jesus, to intervene on behalf of humans who just wanted kill him.

And it takes trust – trust that God actually knows what he is doing, that Jesus is who he says he is, and that through Jesus, God achieved our greater need and good.

As we move out of COVID-19, I am completely overwhelmed.

As we deal with our broken world, I am completely overwhelmed.

In both instances, the same key aspects are involved: intervention, sacrifice and trust.

Let me urge us, as a community, to work together to exit COVID-19 well – through listening to the intervention, though be willing to sacrifice and trust each other.

But, as we do, let me encourage you to lift your gaze and consider the same aspects on the whole matter of human history and this broken world: the intervention of God in this world, through the sacrifice of Jesus, who we are called to trust.

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