Essential

Jesus is our example of compassion; in His earthly ministry, He healed the sick and walked out His power over the enemy - He proclaimed abundant life in contrast to the devil's hopelessness.  We
possess His compassion, and are told in 1st Peter 3:
8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;
9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.

It is very easy to be cynical in times of crisis - we become discouraged when we are inconvenienced and when the things we enjoy may not be in as abundant supply.  But, we can view our adversity through spiritual eyes and even consider how God might use our interrupted times to turn our hearts more fully to Him.  We may need to adjust our level of compassion and augment our devotion to Him - when there is change, it is an opportunity for us to change within.

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When we feel confused or fearful, we can depend on the Lord to show us what to do.  The antidote to fear is love, so we can take steps to make sure that we are motivated by the love of Christ in the midst of difficulty. 2nd Corinthians 4 instructs us:
6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

There are government leaders who get it: in times of crisis, faith-based organization are uniquely positioned to provide necessary, and I would dare say "essential" components such as spiritual hope and direction.  In a crisis such as a natural disaster or the spread of a virus, I would argue that the Church certainly has an essential role.

I found a Christian Post article from 2005, which said that then-President George W. Bush was dissatisfied with the Federal response and stated that he "...urged charitable groups to continue their good works and Americans to continue giving money to support the private sector." He is quoted as saying, "Please give cash money to organizations that are directly involved in helping save lives -- save the life who had been affected by Hurricane Katrina,” adding, “We’ll continue to work together to do our duty and to help our citizens who hurt, and help this great part of the country rebuild.”

Fast-forward almost 15 years later, and we have this recent quote, also from the Christian Post, from Vice President Mike Pence:

Americans are responding to the novel coronavirus pandemic with “common sense, compassion and generosity,” Pence said and praised religious leaders and faith communities for their continued service.

“Making the hard choice to suspend services, to have online services, even while those ministries are continuing to support food banks and come alongside of the most vulnerable,” he said.

“And of course the chorus of prayers that is coming up from communities of faith around the country is making the difference that it always has in the life of this nation.”

He and President Donald Trump had promised to “remind people that on the weekends that you’re not in the pews, it’s still a good idea, if you can, to go ahead and make that donation.” He explained that “all the ministries are continuing to play a vital role in our communities and we encourage your continued support.”

There was a conference call with faith leaders that occurred almost two weeks ago, according to McClatchy, which was originally intended to be about encouraging participation in the census, but the Coronavirus became a hot topic.  The article says:

The White House is turning to faith-based groups and church pastors who command large audiences to promote guidance on how to prevent the spread of the coronavirus as new cases continue to emerge across the country.

On a call with religious leaders last Wednesday, the White House Office of Public Liaison asked the heads of some of the nation’s biggest houses of worship to encourage congregants to wash their hands and take other precautionary measures to help reduce the number of coronavirus cases in the United States.

“The White House is telling us to tell our congregation to adjust and submit to the information and to advice,” Alberto Delgado, pastor of Alpha & Omega Church in Miami, said.

Samuel Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference is quoted as saying, "We are disseminating that information, in a very fast, accelerated manner,” adding, “Churches can get people to do things in an expedited manner, arguably in competition with the social media people. So it’s very powerful, the church coming together, and giving instructions.”

 Across our country, churches and ministries are responding in their communities. Witness what is happening in Los Angeles with Angelus Temple and the Dream Center, according to a ChristianHeadlines.com article from this past Friday; the Center...

...has been open from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. to provide free hot and boxed meals all week — not just to families with children from the Los Angeles Unified School District, but to anyone who stops by for its drive-thru or pick-up service.

The center will also be distributing meals this weekend.

Angelus Temple pastor Matthew Barnett said food distributions have gone smoothly.

The church is averaging 5,000 meals a day as well as 150 daily visits to the elderly to provide them with food. Chick-fil-A and Pink’s Hot Dogs have donated food, he said.

Sports figures have become involved, as, "Los Angeles Dodgers teammates Justin Turner and Clayton Kershaw are among those who have donated money and have even called businesses to supply food."

CBN reported on a partnership involving the humanitarian relief organization Operation Blessing:

Operation Blessing, a charitable wing of the nonprofit Christian Broadcasting Network, compiled and handed out hard-to-find essentials, like cleaning supplies and face masks, to first responders, according to WAVY-TV.

Through a partnership with Home Depot, the Christian organization is also giving away some 30,000 pounds of food to 12 distribution centers across the Hampton Roads, Virginia, area, where Operation Blessing is headquartered.

The partnership also obtained a thousand N95 industrial-strength masks, as well as the "disaster buckets," with those cleaning supplies inside.

This is a glorious opportunity for the Church.  While there are those who would want to marginalize the work of Christian ministry in the world today, we recognize that we have the capability to 1) provide hope 2) command resources 3) organize volunteers and 4) release power.  And, that is only a partial list.  We may be approaching a point where leaders are determining what is essential in the midst of our current crisis - I would submit that in bringing hope - spiritual and physical - to people, Christian churches and ministries have an unmatched role.

We can also think about what each of us can do.  The President has asked us to take necessary steps during a 15-day period, of which we are now about at the halfway point.  We can be sources of encouragement and examples of responsibility.  For instance, if we are being asked to exercise social distancing, then we should do that.  If our pursuit of our own plans would deprive someone else of needed medical supplies or others, perhaps we can reconsider those plans.  We can be shining examples of selflessness, following the direction of Christ and His Word.