Joy in the Swine Flu.
In the end, sickness points to sin and sin points to our need for Christ. Luther, Calvin, and all true ministers of Christ know that sickness and death point to our need for a Savior. Even as Christians seek to minister to the physical needs of the sick, the spiritual need is even more urgent. Each tiny germ shows us our need for the Gospel. Every cough is a reminder of coming judgment. Our confidence is placed only in the ministry of the Christ our Physician, “who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases.” [Psalm 103:3]
Christians will, sooner or later, be called upon to show the love of Christ in the midst of sickness. Perhaps we will minister out of Christ’s love in a time of swine flu. If so, we do well to remember Luther’s summary of the best prescription in the face of disease: “My best prescription is written John 3:16. ‘God so loved the world.’ This is the best I have.”
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