KABUR AJA DULU

by Royce

As we face an uncertain and seemingly grim future for our country, many are tempted to flee, seeking refuge in nations with better governance. However, as followers of Jesus, this challenging season serves as a powerful reminder of how our brothers and sisters in the early Church endured even greater hardships. They faced relentless persecution and devastating plagues that swept through the Roman Empire — crises that could have easily justified retreat and self-preservation. Yet, instead of withdrawing in fear, these faithful believers chose a radically different path — one of unwavering faith, sacrificial love, and steadfast commitment to God’s mission.

At the heart of their response was the Christian concept of hospitality — philoxenia, literally “love of the stranger.” Unlike the Roman world, where hospitality was primarily extended to those of similar social standing, Christians radically redefined this virtue. They opened their homes to strangers in need, regardless of status, religion, or background. This revolutionary practice of welcome and care during times of crisis ultimately gave birth to the first hospitals in human history — institutions created specifically to care for the sick, particularly those who were poor or marginalized.

When the Antonine and Cyprian plagues ravaged their communities, killing millions, our spiritual ancestors stepped forward rather than backward. While their Roman neighbors fled from the sick and abandoned their loved ones, Christians moved toward suffering. They provided water to the feverish, cleaned wounds, offered food, and sat with the dying. They buried strangers with dignity. They risked everything to demonstrate the revolutionary love of Christ.

This was not mere humanitarian aid — it was living testimony. Through their sacrificial care, they proclaimed a truth more powerful than any sermon: that we serve a living God whose love transcends fear, whose hope conquers death, and whose community sustains us through our darkest valleys.

Today, we find ourselves in the midst of our own crisis. The challenges before us may feel overwhelming, stirring anxiety and confusion. Yet, we must remember — this is nothing new. Throughout history, God’s people have faced hardships, not merely as trials to endure, but as sacred opportunities to reveal the depth of our faith and the power of God’s presence in our lives.

This is our moment to show that our God is not distant or abstract, but alive and working through us in tangible ways. When we provide for physical needs, offer comfort to the suffering, or simply refuse to succumb to panic, we make the invisible God visible to a watching world.

Bishop Cyprian told his congregation during the plague: “What a great thing is it, how pertinent, how necessary, that pestilence and plague which seems horrible and deadly, searches out the righteousness of each one, and examines the minds of the human race, to see whether they who are healthy tend the sick…”

Dear friends, we cannot go through this crisis alone, nor should we try. Just as the early church organized itself for systematic care — creating the world’s first hospitals and community relief systems — we too must join together. In unity there is not only strength but also witness. When we support one another through practical help, prayer, and encouragement, we reveal the distinctive nature of Christ’s body.

Some may ask, “Why would God allow such suffering?” Like our early Christian ancestors, we respond not with mere words but with actions that demonstrate God’s sustaining power working through human hands and hearts. We become living proof that God has not abandoned us. He is among us, sustaining us through each other.

As you go through this week, I urge you:

Remember that when everything seems most uncertain, this is precisely when your faith can speak most clearly.
Look for ways to serve safely but sacrificially, knowing that in giving ourselves away, we find ourselves held by God’s sustaining grace.

Reach out to your brothers and sisters in Christ, forming networks of care that extend beyond your immediate circles.
And take courage from those who walked this path before us, who transformed plagues into opportunities for witness, and whose faithful response to crisis helped spread the gospel throughout an empire.

Just as the early Christians’ response to plague helped transform the Roman world, our response to today’s challenges can transform our communities. We serve a God who specializes in bringing life from death, hope from despair, and community from isolation.

So, kabur aja dulu? Elo aja.

In Christ’s sustaining love,
Amen