The threat of COVID-19 appears to be receding. No longer are our news bulletins dominated by the grim statistics of death, hospitalisation and infection rates. Restrictions around quarantining, isolating and distancing have been relaxed significantly. Masks are becoming less common in supermarkets and cinemas and are no longer required to be worn in church. But, at the time of writing, masks were still required to be worn when visiting places where people are at higher risk of infection, such in hospitals and aged care facilities.
As the spectre of COVID fades in our consciousness, life in the Valley begins to return to a semblance of normality. Events that have been postponed, cancelled, and delayed have made a welcome return. The Craft Beer and BBQ festival was fully booked and a great success, despite high winds claiming some of the marquees (and blowing a six pack into the churchyard). The Folk Festival was well attended, and the Folk Festival Gospel Service made a welcome return, recording the highest number of people ever for this service. Planning is underway for the Kangaroo Valley Show – 17–18 February 2023 – and the Carols in the Churchyard. The Carols will be held on Saturday, 10 December rather than on Sunday this year.
Although the threat of COVID appears to be receding, the battle against the pandemic has not been won. I suspect that we have just come to accept the reality of life with COVID. The statistics of COVID make grim reading. Over 6.5 million deaths are attributed to COVID-19 and some sources attribute a far higher number of deaths due to COVID. Countless millions more have suffered serious long- and short-term health effects. The economic and social effects of COVID have been far reaching and we are still seeking to understand their full effect.
As we adjust the way we live in the light of COVID, I wonder what lessons we have learned from the pandemic. First, I think that the outbreak of COVID has reminded us that we are not as masterful in our dominion over the Earth as we may have thought we were. Three years ago, most of us would have given little thought to the possibility of a worldwide pandemic. Today, we recognise that a virus can turn our world upside down.
COVID has also reminded us that life is fragile and precious. When our lives are trouble-free, we give little thought to their ending. We live our lives, for the most part, as though they will go on without interruption. The COVID pandemic is a sharp reminder that life is fleeting and precious.
In reflecting on the inevitability of death, the writer of Ecclesiastes states “It’s better to go to a funeral than to attend a feast”, because “funerals remind us that we all must die.” The writer then goes onto to discuss how the wise person considers his own mortality. Thinking about our own demise is not something many of us care to do. There is, however, great wisdom to be found in contemplating the finiteness of life. Recognising that each of us has a limited out of time gives value to how we spend that time and is the foundation for living life to its fullest. Again as the writer to Ecclesiastes reminds us, “A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time.”
Yours in Christ
Andrew Heron
