We are in a critical time in terms of our health and life in general because of the spread and threat of the Covid pandemic.

The government and health officials have advised us to stay home, take care and be kind. Individuals, families, community and church leaders are responding in different ways. Some are strongly supporting this appeal and others are against it because of misinformation gathered from social media.

Those who support the government and health officials’ campaign are well versed in the information about how best to care for the lives of others. They comply willingly with the government’s restriction rules and need for the Covid vaccination. In doing so, they are protecting their own lives and avoiding spreading the virus in the community. In contrast, those who are going against the government’s appeal and refusing to have the vaccination are risking the wellbeing and security of our community. They show a disregard for the life that God created and gifted to humanity and all creatures on earth to enjoy.

From a theological point, we are given responsibility to be good stewards of the life God gave us. The two creation stories in the book of Genesis convey clearly the priority of life. The author of the book of Genesis states, “Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). The author explains that life came from the very being of God, God’s breath. To deny or endanger life is to defy God’s intention for humanity which is to nurture and cherish life. This was the understanding that Jesus had in his ministry. He knew the uniqueness of life and therefore he had the compassion to save, restore, heal and nurture it. In his words, he declares this powerful statement, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10b).

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, saw life as a priority in his ministry and developed a theology that would guide him to fulfil that purpose. In his book, The John Wesley Code, author James Stuart claims that John Wesley’s theology was centred in the word “compassion” as a guiding principle.

Compassion motivated John Wesley to engage in a mission for moral revolution and for social change. Stuart remarks, “For Wesley, compassion was a fundamental Christian way of relating to others. Faith necessarily required expression in compassion towards others where the suffering and struggle of others to be human invited one also to be human. This compassionate love was the theological foundation of the Methodist movements.”

John Wesley established health clinics to provide care for the sick and infirmed, especially for the poor. He produced books with explanations of remedies and their effectiveness to restore life. Stuart states, “Wesley published in 1747 his Primitive Physick which contained over 900 remedies for most illnesses afflicting the poor.” Methodist tradition emphasises the value of life and the priority to enhance and cherish it. If any person or organisation is working to undermine the value of life by their political or religious stance, especially regarding the spread of the Delta virus, it is counter to our Methodist tradition of compassion as our guiding principle. Like Jesus, we are accountable for the wellbeing of others.