The coronavirus is not the first plague to hit our world and we are not the first people to endure such hardship. Martin Luther spoke of Christian response to the Black Death which resurfaced in Europe in the early 1500s. Luther said “if a deadly epidemic strikes, we should stay where we are, make our preparations, and take courage in the fact that we are mutually bound together… so that we cannot desert one another or flee from one another. First, we can be sure that God’s punishment has come upon us, not only to chastise us for our sins but also to test our faith and love — our faith in that we may see and experience how we should act toward God; our love in that we may recognize how we should act toward our neighbor.” And these are relevant words as we face a pandemic today.