“Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favour to the skilful; but time and chance happen to them all. 12For no one can anticipate the time of disaster. Like fish taken in a cruel net, and like birds caught in a snare, so mortals are snared at a time of calamity, when it suddenly falls upon them” (Ecclesiastes 9:11-12)
Well, that’s a little on the nose!
But here’s the good news: The people of God – you yourself – have been preparing for COVID-19 since the time of your baptism. You’ve been preparing because, whether you were conscious of it or not (and your being conscious of it is immaterial), you have been made part of a people whose holy wisdom includes such reminders as “for no one can anticipate the time of disaster.”
And here’s some more good news: You haven’t just been given the wisdom to know that disaster will always, by its nature, surprise us (for a disaster that is anticipated and planned for is no disaster at all), but also that you’ve been given the sort of wisdom that can withstand the disastrous. That is, at any rate, how the rest of this selection plays out. The author goes on to tell a story of a great king with a great army who cannot overcome a small, weak people because within their ranks is a single wise man. This is a parable or an allegory meant to help us understand that God’s wisdom is mightier than the might of any king or president or ruler who is just “shouting… among fools.”
In less than two weeks, we will enter a new season – Summer! – and yet we will be in this same season of COVID-19. Technically, this will be our third season under siege. But should we worry? Of course not! Our God’s wisdom is with us and we are people nurtured and nursed on it. We will overcome for our identity is not found in the disasters that befall us, but rather in the one who has claimed us. Amen.
