“In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider/look (heb.). God has made the one as well as the other in such a way that no one can find out what is to happen next.” Ecclesiastes 7:14.

Around the world, scientific research teams are racing to find cures and vaccinations that might protect us from the new plague that is killing tens of thousands and throwing nations and their economies into chaos. The virus has changed our world.

In all the discussion on the internet about observing the Lord’s Supper in the situation of the Coronavirus, we should spare a thought for believers, particularly in Muslim lands, who have no regular contact with other Christians.

There has been a recent posting of reports reflecting (in a very healthy way) divergent views on celebrating the Lord’s Supper online during community lockdown. We were blessed to read and reflect on the perspective that came from our colleague in India, and thankful, for the reminder that in the family of Christ we are enriched by considering how other churches are coping and how other Christians live in the light of our present world crisis.

WRF member Dr. George Fuller has recommended that the historical response of Martin Luther to the bubonic plague which devastated Europe in the 16th century might be relevant to our situation today.

In taping or livestreaming their services. My own congregation has done this several times, and it has been simultaneously a blessing to have the technology to remain connected and a horror that the church is left with a facsimile of corporate worship.

A few days after the Australian government introduced limitations on gatherings and ministers realised that churches would have to meet on-line, several ministers asked me about the Lord’s Supper. I wrote a response and circulated it around the Presbyterian Churches in our state.

The Lord’s Supper is a sacred meal for Christians. It expresses our fellowship within the body of Christ, both among fellow members of Christ’s body, and also with the head of that body, our risen Lord. Three elements of the Lord’s Supper are found in Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians.

In December 2015 many were shocked when President Yahya Jammeh declared The Gambia to be an “Islamic Republic.” The July 2014 declaration of a Caliphate by ISIS echoed in our memories. These concerns began to recede in January 2017, when the new president, Adama Barrow, restored the older name, “Republic of The Gambia.”

The coronavirus had one huge advantage: the element of surprise. It gave no advance warning, no early danger-signs, not even a gradual evolution. One mutation, and suddenly it was there, invisible and unstoppable.

In these days, much of the world is busy watching the World Cup 2018 from Moscow. Others who may read the non-sport news would be hearing much about the Airborne Fire Bombs and Arson Kites in the southern border of Israel in Gaza. However, there are other stories about Israel that you don’t hear in your international news.

There’s a juggernaut coming our way that seems likely to sweep every opposition from its path.