Smashing the Contagion! (Poems)
Fear is all over the world,
There are a lot of reason for that,
Fear for our lives,
Fear for our living,
Fear for our basic needs,
Fear for being contaminated,
Fear for being isolated and alone,
Fear of dying!
All are catching something,
All are impacted by the world around them,
What will we give to others?
Wisdom for navigating life,
For knowing what to do in crisis?
Is what we are carrying worth catching?
Are messages heard from us true and safe to hear and do?
The avalanche of new information is waring on peoples’ consciousness
The fog of fear and the storm of words and promises,
Are an ongoing bombardment.
Contagious fear and good news occur and conflict,
Good news is urgently sought, and questions come out of chaos,
The world seeks a cure searching for lifelines
Scrambling to access the rescue packages.
The current invisible virus spreads
advancing across the country.
People are passing away.
Preparation for ICU emergency facilities commence
Gloves, masks and protective gear is in shortage
Factories retool to provide medical equipment and protective hand lotion.
The ADF has been mobilised to work
Streets are becoming increasingly deserted
As people are told social distance to stop the spread of the disease that kills.
There is good news that the government measures are working.
Accusations and criticism of leaders is rife,
Journalists and the social media are in hyperdrive
Like vultures they hover over the landscape waiting to strike
The urgent calls ring out constantly,
More businesses shut and the line of unemployment lengthens.
In Christ, through His people, Good News is going out,
Good News is contagious in a good way,
It is news that cures spiritual sickness
It drives out despair bringing hope.
It has an authority like no other
It’s a message written into the fabric of timeless reality
This Good News stands firm and is for all humanity,
Jesus came to drive out evil and smash sin,
Jesus came to bring faith, hope and love,
Jesus came to bring the only antidote,
Jesus came to conquer the virus of sin, sickness, death and despair,
We are made right by God,
Not through what we do,
Not through going to church buildings,
Faith comes in the Good News.
Faith is a gift caught,
Faith is contagious,
Faith is passed on from one person to another,
Faith is spread as we hear the Word of God,
Faith is spread through the fruitful work and deeds of loving people,
Faith is taking on the hope offered in the sacrifice of Jesus.
Each of us are faith carriers,
We are contagious,
We have faith, love and hope growing within us,
We cannot help but share it.
We are empowered to be,
Faith spreaders,
Hope dealers,
Love givers,
By this everyone will know,
That we are Jesus followers,
Love is plain to see.
The call to us is to stay strong,
The call for us is to be renewed in true hope for life,
The call for us is to spread the news that deliverance is at hand,
The call for us is to make Jesus known,
The call for us is to tell everyone that Jesus is Lord,
The call for us is to tell everyone that Jesus love every one of us,
God gave HIS Son and greatest treasure to rescue us.
Be a faith spreader,
Be a hope dealer,
Be a lover giver,
Be a messenger of the Heavenly Father who has bought you with a price most costly!
God gave His Son, Jesus, to give life,
That life is ready for you now,
That life will last forever.
Neil P. Schiller (written as a response to Pastor Ben Henschke’s address on Sunday 28th March 2020)
