The real problem of corona is the human heart, sin – Davis

SIN IS THE problem with COVID-19 and government policies or strengthening immune systems are not solutions to the pandemic.

This was the message given by Reverend Adolph Davis, the superintendent of the Kingstown/ Chateaubelair Circuit of the Methodist Church in his homily on Palm Sunday, April 5.

“The real problem of corona is the human heart, sin. Some of this is evidenced by people and their own political agendas. You look around and you will see corona’s problem is not how much people it can kill. It is that it exposes us to the real problem of human sin,” he said during the Kingstown Methodist Church service, which was carried live on Youtube.

Davis said the problem was also evidenced by the greed, exploitation, dishonesty and selfishness of people who were panic buying and price gouging in the face of the pandemic.

The preacher likened the behaviour of people in the pandemic to the crowds surrounding Jesus on Palm Sunday, who he said were there for the politics of the situation without actually knowing about why Jesus had come.

“Come tell me you have not seen a lot of people who are invested, who are focused on the politics of corona. There are a lot of persons for whom, unfortunately all they are seeing in the midst of corona is yellow, or green or red or pink and their judgments and positions is entirely political,” Davis told the congregation.

He said that the issue was not just a local one but can be witnessed Internationally as well, and even in the churches.

Davis also noted that many Christians were focused on dying and how bad things could get, rather than having faith that God could see them through the difficult time.

The preacher said he was not encouraging recklessness “but I’m saying, what our focus needs to be, what our fear needs to be is not flesh”.

“I’ve always declared, if I die honouring God, praise the Lord, that to me is the best death I could ever die…not to be reckless, but to be faithful in service to the Lord,” he said.

Davis said he has had experiences in the past that threatened his life and faithfulness to God.

He told a story of driving off on a man in Guyana, who had brandished his gun at him.

Likening this experience to what was happening with the coronavirus, the minister said that even in situations when one’s life was at risk, God will always protect them.

“It means therefore if that is the problem, then the real solution is not in government policies — not that those things are not important …but the real solution is not that you get plenty vitamins and zinc to build up your immune system, its not the real solution,” he said. “What does it profit if you maintain good health, have a robust economy, have good income, doing well financially…doing well healthy, fit and wise, keep yourself safe but lose your soul?”

Davis said the solution and focus in the time of COVID-19 should be one’s soul salvation.

He said Jesus was clear that he was coming for the salvation of man.

Quoting scripture, the minister said that in order to find salvation, one must have faith, which is grounded in hope.

“So when I hear church people hopeless, that tells me about their faith…all they could tell me is that it go get worse and lord help us in St Vincent and everything…there are a lot of church people who all they doing is waiting for the worst…Hopeless!” Davis said.

He stressed that salvation was continuous, meaning that persons are always on the journey rather than relying on the past commitments they may have made to finding salvation.

“Until you and I can humble ourselves before God and submit ourselves to the Almighty God and walk with confidence in God, we don’t know salvation,“ he said.

Davis added that one’s salvation must place their faithfulness to God over everything else.

The Methodist minister said it is often a crisis that brings people to a place of trust, when persons realise how much they need God when they cannot fix the problem themselves.

He expressed belief that a lot of people, even christians, are focused on political and medical solutions and are willing to suspend their spirituality.

“I believe if we are not giving God thanks, we can miss out on a further blessing. However you twist it or turn it, whether you believe they not doing enough tests or whether you believe thy have people walking around with the virus, there is still a lot that St Vincent has to give God thanks for,” Davis said.

The pastor reasoned that there could have been many more cases of the virus present locally.

He further said that it was God who was in control, noting that “if we could send 30 something tests and only get back one, that’s still something to thank God for because we could’ve sent 30 something tests and get back 20”.

“The problem is we not humbled enough yet…that all the systems we could put in place in the world, without God, they na work. If you don’t believe me, ask Italy and America…,” Davis said.

He continued: “Salvation therefore in the midst of corona is being able to fall humbly before God… I am challenging us to humble ourselves before the Almighty God, that in this coronavirus, we grow in our relationship with God…”.

And Davis called on Vincentians to look to the Lord for salvation.

“Now is the time, more than any other time is to focus on Jesus…my prayer is that when corona is done, St Vincent will have a testimony different than everywhere else,” he said, noting that if people give their lives to God in this pandemic, SVG’s story will continue to be different from the rest of the world.