Somehow Lucy convinces Charlie to try to kick the football once more even though the same thing had happened every time. There she kneels holding the ball perfectly—laces out and all. Charlie has a great look of determination as he curls his tongue to his upper lip. There he goes, charging forward toward the ball! He’s going to swing his leg harder than ever! His left foot plants with his right foot going back at the same time. His right leg moves forward for the kick, but just as contact is about to be made, Lucy moves the ball…again. Charlie Brown flies through the air and lands on his back in shame…again.

This scene from the Peanuts cartoon is a familiar one that many generations know well, and I call upon its image because there is much similarity to what is being told to us about how we should respond to the virus today. At first we all learned about viruses in general and what’s called a “curve.” We were told that we needed to stay apart from one another and even stay home only coming out for essentials in order to “flatten the curve” because the hospitals were going to be overwhelmed and millions were going to die. We were told that the virus lives and thrives on surfaces and that young people were especially vulnerable. Then it was said that all people needed to wear masks in order to protect themselves from contracting the virus.

Something strange happened, though, as everything began to shut down. It was discovered that the virus actually doesn’t thrive on surfaces (and cannot survive at all in some places). Young people aren’t the ones most vulnerable, and masks are ineffective! Lucy pulled the football. Now, I certainly understand that we learn new things each day, and that sometimes we can have a wrong opinion or hypothesis in the beginning only for it to change with new evidence. But this doesn’t appear to be the motivation here. Lucy is pulling the football.

Lucy is smart, though. She has convinced Charlie Brown to try one more time. She has placed the football down with new promises. “You still need to distance. It’s best if you stay home. If you get out, wear a mask, but this time it’s not to keep you from getting sick. It’s to keep you from spreading the virus to others if you are the one infected.” (What about the eyes? Shouldn’t we technically be covering those, too?) Here comes Charlie running faster than ever this time. Back goes the leg! Here it comes! Lucy moves the ball…again. Charlie Brown flies through the air and lands on his back in shame…again.

“One more thing,” Lucy says. “Remember when I told you this was all about flattening the curve for all those reasons I gave?” “Yes,” Charlie responds. “Well, you should really just stay home until there’s a vaccine. Better yet, why don’t you stay home until the virus is gone completely. This is your ‘new normal’ now,” Lucy says as she places the ball down once more.

I’m not saying that the virus is less of a threat, especially to older people or immune-compromised people, than before. I’m not saying that we ought to stop taking it seriously. But at the same time, how many times are we going to let Lucy hold the football? We know what she’s going to do. She cannot be trusted and doesn’t have your best interest in mind. Look at what’s happened. People shamelessly go to Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, and grocery stores. They’ll even travel! But worship is out of the question. It’s the thing that’s going to be last to re-enter lives—if ever even. The very place we need to be in times of trouble is the place we’ve been told we ought not go. We’ve let Lucy convince us that worship on the Internet is the same as being here in person because “the church is not the building, it’s the people!” Perhaps that’s something to address another day.

It’s time to stop playing with Lucy. We cannot trust her. We can, however, trust our Lord Christ. He has written His Law upon our hearts and does not change. With Him, there is no “new normal,” even after the fall into sin. He came to deal with it so that we don’t have to live in fear or anxiousness and to gather us together again by His Spirit where we live in the forgiveness of sins.

It’s time to get back to normal—worship, Bible class, fellowship, and school (all safely, of course). It’s time to walk away from Lucy and draw near to the One who doesn’t change…who doesn’t hurt, Jesus Christ our Lord.

“I will also speak of your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame” (Psalm 119:46).