When I woke up this morning, I was so confused that I did not know what word to use in light of my recent observations. The reason being that so much is happening now that is outside of natural reasoning that cause some of us to feel a little eerie.

I woke up this morning with these questions, “Is the pandemic over and no one told us?” “Does the National Football League have a vaccine or mechanism in place that causes people to be immune to COVID-19?” “Have I lost my mind?”

On Saturday we watched the nation reflect on the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001. As we watched, it was encouraging and sobering as our political leaders and the majority of people in attendance wear their masks. The feeling was, “We are going to beat this thing.”

On yesterday as I tuned into some of the football games, it was a total contrast to what we witnessed on television on Saturday’s September 11, 2001 anniversary acknowledgement. If you watched any of the college games on Saturday and NFL games on Sunday, it was just mind-boggling to see so many people not wearing their masks. The stadiums were packed and people were sitting about as close as they could get to each other. The commentators, coaches, players, spectators, etc. were without a mask. I watched some of the games in disbelief. We are constantly being told and evidence shows that we are still not out of the woods, yet we have dropped our guards. For a short period of time on yesterday, I thought I was hallucinating.   

It’s mind-boggling to me that a vaccine is available and will save lives, but intelligent people refuse to take it. It is mind-boggling knowing that vaccinations and wearing masks are the two main ways to resist the transmission of the virus, but there is a refusal from a large number of the American population.

There are continuous reports that the COVID-19 death toll has started soaring again as the delta variant tears through the unvaccinated population and fills hospitals with patients, many whom are younger than during earlier phases of the pandemic. It is distressing and strange when we hear that a public health disaster is a threat to national security, yet we ignore the severity of the pandemic. May we accept the words of General Tedrous Adhanom Ghebreyesus, “None of us is safe until everyone is safe.”

The question for me today, “Is America losing its mind?” Too many unnatural things are beginning to happen, but what is creepy is the fact that a crisis is in effect, but we ignore it. My head is beginning to hurt, but we must not lose faith in the God of the universe.

My mind suddenly has taken me to a place of comfort in scripture, Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places.”  What we must always remember is that there is a spiritual world at work around us at all times. The apostle Paul is suggesting we keep our eyes open to the fact that we are waging a spiritual war each day. He reminds us that we are not wrestling against human beings; rather we are fighting against rulers, authorities, cosmic powers, and spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places. We must stay in tune with Jesus Christ our Lord as we fight off these dark forces.  

As I stated in my sermon on yesterday, “We need a revival like never before.”

As I live says the Lord God, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?”  Ezekiel 33: 11

I believe God is warning us and His patience is getting thin. The watchman, Ezekiel’s, responsibility was to warn the people about God’s judgement, and then the blood is not on his hands.

May we be warned of God’s judgement and His displeasure with our actions.

Not a sermon, just my thoughts!

Robert Earl Slade, Pastor