Why Don’t We Thank God for the End of this Pandemic?

Something is missing that almost every other generation knew to do: Give Thanks to God.

I have been visiting churches online and in real-time…and something is missing. I read faith-based articles by our top religious leaders, and they don’t mention it. I routinely listen to sermons and lectures from pastors and theologians, and they haven’t broached the subject. I am ‘tuned in’ to the religious scene in our culture today, and there is something that is never mentioned. It is conspicuous by its absence.

Thanksgiving! Where is it? We should all be filled with thanksgiving.

I do not see leaders and congregations giving thanks for the way we are making it through this pandemic. Depending on where you live and your FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt), we are either through the pandemic or through the worst of it. But you’d rarely know it!

Yes, there are hot spots here and there. But we have a rapid test for the virus. And, we have accumulated wisdom and knowledge about patient care and treatment of COVID. And we have a vaccine! Did you hear that? We have a vaccine! Infections are declining. Death rates are dropping. In any case, the pandemic is very much in our rear-view mirror.

The war is over! But I don’t see people giving thanks or celebrating in any way! Why not?

God has seen us through some very dark days…but we are emerging on the other side. I know it has been difficult for many families. Some of our friends and members of our family have perished in the pandemic. I do not mean to discount the pain of those losses. We all know the stats. For some of us, they are personal.

But we are emerging from this worldwide catastrophe. The war has been won. The pandemic is subsiding. We can start to breathe easier…literally…especially without masks!

One of the most iconic photographs taken at the end of the Second World War showed a sailor embracing an unsuspecting nurse and planting a huge kiss on her lips. V-J Day in 1945 officially ended the long, costly ordeal of a World War, and it promised new life and new hope for generations to come. There was a great reason to celebrate. People of the world defeated fascism.

We also have reason to celebrate and to give thanks to God!

We should be celebrating the end of the pandemic. Our churches should hold services of thanksgiving and celebration. We should extoll and proclaim the bravery and service of our healthcare workers, our scientists, our grocery store clerks, our first-responders, our government and commercial sector leaders, and the entire host of people who served during the war on COVID to help us get through it.

• Why aren’t we quoting the Bible directly on this subject? Psalm 91:6 gave many of us hope: “You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.”
• Why aren’t we using the great Bible word, “Ebenezer,” and celebrating “the stone of help” from the story in 1 Samual 7:12? We should be declaring that “thus far the Lord has helped us.”
• Why aren’t we singing “Great is Thy Faithfulness” and remembering one of the most wonderful phrases ever: “All I have needed Thy hand hath provided — Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!”
• Why aren’t we quoting the Prayer of Thanksgiving from the 2019 Book of Common Prayer: “We offer you praise and heartfelt thanks for our deliverance from the dangers which lately surrounded us…. We confess that your goodness alone has preserved us, and we ask you still to continue your mercies toward us, that we may always know and acknowledge you as our Savior and mighty Deliverer; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
• Why aren’t our politicians, faith leaders, and others declaring a victory over the COVID-19?
• Where is the Presidential Proclamation of Thanksgiving for Victory over the Pandemic?

I hope that our churches and church leaders will lead the way to help us all give thanks. This is something for which Christians have been known. Giving thanks is something that we have an imagination for. And giving thanks to God is something that our nation and our world need to do…together.

After all, for the Christian, giving thanks is our stock in trade, even when we are in the midst of FUD. Remember what St. Paul says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”(I Thess 5:16–18)

David Roseberry is a published author. His latest book, “The Ordinary Ways of God,” is now on Amazon here.