Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
“As long as you have mystery, you have health; when you destroy mystery, you create morbidity.”
— G.K. Chesterton
The entirety of creation seems to have plunged into an abyss of darkness and disorientation and despair.
The current pandemic has touched every corner of the world and now prevents us from touching each other.
We are social beings, created to live in community and to break bread and enjoy the presence of friends and loved ones. Forced to be separate and distant, we have sadly become acutely aware of the things we have long taken for granted. Our loss is profound.
Each day we watch the grim news of the growing statistics and fear for our health and wellbeing.
The virus has cost us lives, taken a toll on emotions, and disrupted our perceived financial security.
In the midst of it all, we have great hope.
This virus, as dire as it seems, does not have the last word.
We were all born with another type of virus. It is called sin. Sin was a pandemic that pervaded and covered the entire earth, and all creation groaned under the weight.
We all yearn for a new creation. We know paradise was lost; we ache to find our way home.
Into this darkness, our Abba Father sent his Son, a light that the darkness cannot overcome.
Christ, the great physician, descended — down, down, down into the depths of creation. The water and blood that flowed from his pierced side became the vaccine for our fatal spiritual condition.
United to Christ and by his grace, we now have the power to overcome wrath, pride, greed, lust, hatred, and envy. We overcome evil with good.
This pandemic has caused many of us to reflect on the brevity and fragility of life. We have an opportunity to reprioritize and reconsider what is essential and vital during this forced slow down.
My hope is we never forget the lessons we are learning and apply this wisdom to our postpandemic lives.
A vaccine for COVID-19 will probably be available soon, and that is excellent news but, frankly, we will all experience a physical death eventually.
The good news is this: Christ, who suffered his passion, was crucified and died, has risen from the grave. Death no longer holds dominion over us. He has destroyed the power of sin and death by his cross.
This Easter, maybe more than any Easter in my lifetime, I want to encourage you to remain stable in the hope of the resurrection. We have all tested positive for sin, but he is the vaccine that saves us and gives us life abundant and eternal.
Rejoice. He is risen! Perfect love casts out all fear.
Victor Leal is a Muleshoe native. Contact him at:
