Faith

Faith, Not Fear, is Best Response to Coronavirus

by Matthew Sieger
01/29/25
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The first Passover was a shelter-in-place event.

In the book of Exodus in the Hebrew Scriptures, Moses told the people, “None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning” (Exodus 12:22).

At Chabad of Solano County in Vacaville, California, Rabbi Chaim Zaklos noted that the home has always been the central point of the Jewish religion. He sees the fact that our current shelter-in-place laws have made it impossible for his people to meet in the synagogue as an opportunity rather than a restriction.

“Judaism has never been centered only around the synagogue or houses of worship,” he explained. “Judaism has always been passed on through the ages at home from generation to generation. That’s how we’ve survived through all of our years of persecution and expulsion when we were void many times of the physical brick and mortar homes of worship temporarily. Yet we survived because it passed from parent to child at home.”

That education took place around Friday night Shabbat dinners but also day-to-day in the home. Homeschooling is nothing new to the Jewish people.

“What we’re presenting to the community is that we have an opportunity here to really get back to the basics of what Judaism is all about,” said Zaklos. “We’re actually just refocusing… and encouraging people to have Shabbat dinner with the family, as it’s meant to be, at home. Shutting off for Friday night till Saturday night from their phones, their cars, their computers and to really experience the way an authentic and good old-style Shabbat was always experienced.”

The rabbi is providing online classes as well during this shelter in place as well as Passover-to-go. Chabad will provide a Passover package to any Jewish family who contacts them to help them observe the holiday, which begins on the evening of April 8, in their home.

Chabad of Solano County has also reached out to all the elderly of the congregation. The rabbi said Chabad has “made sure that they are okay and let them know that we’re here for them. If they need anything, there’s an address and a phone number that they can reach out to.”

At Trinity Baptist Church in Vacaville, Pastor Greg Davidson calls himself the “sheltered pastor,” as he delivers Sunday sermons that are streamed virtually to his congregation.

He is also teaching four Bible studies during the week via the technology of a secure chat room. When everybody first enters the “room” and chats with each other, Davidson says it is “a bit chaotic.”

Once everyone settles in, he makes announcements, updates the virtual visitors on any new developments in terms of the coronavirus and how it is impacting the congregation, and then teaches the lesson.

The Bible studies are open to anyone, not just church members. A code is needed for each day’s session.

Before the shelter-in-place, Trinity Baptist had three Sunday services and four on Wednesday as well as other activities throughout the week. The church has five full-time staff, three part-time and volunteers. But all are on board with the shelter-in-place regulations, which have closed down any activities in the church facilities.

“We are encouraging (all congregants} to abide by the shelter-in-place recommendation,” said Davidson, whose membership includes medical professionals conversant with the facts about the coronavirus. “We’ve got to flatten out this virus. We can put a dent in this virus and prevent crises like the ones in Italy and China.”

Communion and baptisms are on hold until after the crisis and shelter-in-place pass.

If the restrictions have not been lifted by Easter, Trinity Baptist will hold a virtual service that Sunday. But Davidson still intends to have a full-blown Easter service once activities are resumed, even if that service occurs one or more Sundays after Easter. It generally includes a musical.

“We can celebrate Easter on any Sunday of the year if we want to,” he said, as it is a celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus, the foundation of the Christian faith.

“We are doing all we can to prevent social alienation, connect virtually, and we are here to help whoever needs it,” said Davidson.

Some Christians see the coronavirus as a sign that we are in the End Times or the Last Days before Christ’s return.

Anne Graham Lotz, the daughter of Billy Graham, wrote: “COVID-19, otherwise known as the coronavirus, has created national fear in a way I have not witnessed in my lifetime. As of this writing, ball games are being canceled; theaters are shutting down; schools are closing; travel is restricted, and the stock market is on a crazy, wild rollercoaster ride. It’s almost as though our nation is being attacked by an invisible enemy seeking to destroy us… As I reflect on all the above, I remember the words of Jesus. He warned us that at the end of time there would be pestilences. In the last few years, we have endured SARS, the swine flu, ebola, avian flu, MERS, West Nile virus and now the coronavirus. Could COVID-19 be one more sign that our redemption is drawing near? Is the end in sight? Is Jesus coming … soon?”

Zaklos and Davidson would agree that the proper response to these times is not to fear but to draw closer to God.

In his letter to the church, Davidson wrote, “We serve a mighty God who ‘has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind’ (2 Timothy 1:7). While we should not be driven by fear, we should be guided by wisdom and prudence.”

This article originally appeared in The Vacaville Reporter on March 20, 2020.

Matt Sieger, now retired, is a former sports reporter and columnist for The Cortland (New York) Standard and The Vacaville (California) Reporter. He is the author of The God Squad: The Born-Again San Francisco Giants of 1978.