Next Thursday, March 11th, will be exactly one year since the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic. Beyond the serious health concerns, the pronouncement sent economic shockwaves throughout the world. One dramatic indicator has been the impact on international travel.
On the day of the pronouncement, 101,682 commercial flights took place – a traditional average for the day over the last few years. One month later, on April 11th, the statistic had nosedived to 24,980 flights. The worldwide flights have not yet returned to the usual daily numbers. In fact, just two days ago, there were only 71,261 flights. Further compounding the reduction of flights is the slashed passenger capacity on each plane.
The economic loss from less congested air space extends well beyond the airlines. The money changing hands for business transactions in the airports’ surrounding cities and towns has been substantially curtailed. International travelers are advised to be aware of foreign currency volatility before boarding flights. It is recommended if you require an exchange of currency that you do so before entering another country.
Most of us are not traveling internationally these days, if at all. If we could, I suspect a vacation destination would be preferable. Meanwhile, our closest connection to a foreign land may be coming across a discarded Euro found in our homes from a trip years ago. Oh, how it would be joyful to use that coin and exchange some US dollars along with it for a nice vacation!
Sadly, staff at airport and hotel foreign exchange counters are either very slow or furloughed from their duties. It is not a good time to be a money changer. But it isn’t the first time being a money changer has been difficult either. Over 2,000 years ago, some money changers ran into an alarming incident at work that would not be forgotten.
We will remember those money changers during worship on the Third Sunday in Lent. Join us as we experience Jesus cleansing the Temple, as described in the Gospel of John. We invite you to gather with us this Sunday, March 7th, at 9:15 AM (indoors) or 10:30 AM (outdoor drive-in) for our half-hour worship services.