'Preparing for the new normal''?
My latest letter for the E Newsletter:
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
The church year is now in that strange time between Ascension and Pentecost. Jesus, who was dead, is risen but his resurrection body can no longer be seen. Jesus has returned to God the Father and he has promised his disciples that the Holy Spirit will come and be their comforter and guide… but nothing has changed yet.
The disciples know that they cannot follow Jesus in the way they were doing – literally walking in his footsteps - but they haven’t yet worked out what the new way of following Jesus will look like when they walk the way of Jesus Christ as his new body, the church.
We, too, are in a strange time, as the COVID19 restrictions on society are loosened somewhat, but the life we knew last year still feels a long way distant, and the future very uncertain.
There is a document written to help local churches prepare for the “new normal” – you can find it on the Synod Website here
When you are ready, you will find guidance there about some of the things you will need to think about, and some practical suggestions for how to follow guidance from government, your insurers, and the denomination as you seek to move forward. We will all need to be wise, thoughtful and measured in making any changes. We will also need to bear in mind that different people will be ready for change at different times.
We remember that the book of Acts tells us how the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost with tongues of fire and a mighty rushing wind, and we might want the change to our churches in the next few months to come suddenly and dramatically. But remember, too, that in John’s gospel, Jesus breathes the Spirit onto the disciples when he appears to them in the upper room on Easter Sunday. Or if you think of the baptism of Jesus (in Matthew, Mark and Luke) you will remember that the Spirit descends on Jesus ‘like a dove’ – in the soft flutter of a bird’s wings.
God’s wisdom comes to us through the Holy Spirit, but it does not always come suddenly or dramatically, nor do we all perceive it in exactly the same way. If as a local church we are going to seek God’s guidance we will need to communicate with one another and share our thoughts while seeking ‘the mind of Christ’. There are video-conferences and emails, but also phone calls and letters, all ways we can talk and discuss together. In just the same way, we who are normally at the Synod office can be reached most easily by email, but you can also leave a phone message at the office itself, or send a letter and we will get back to you, so don’t be afraid to ask if we can help your church in any way.
I know how hard it is to remain separated from other church members: I miss my church family as well as my blood family and want to be close. But we must allow wisdom to guide us, care for the most vulnerable, and trust that God will bring us through this time with a deeper sense of belonging to God and to one another, and a stronger sense of our part in God’s mission to the world.
Most of all at this time we remember the very last words of Matthew’s gospel, the words of Christ “I will be with you always, to the end of time.”
God’s love be with you,
Ruth.
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
The church year is now in that strange time between Ascension and Pentecost. Jesus, who was dead, is risen but his resurrection body can no longer be seen. Jesus has returned to God the Father and he has promised his disciples that the Holy Spirit will come and be their comforter and guide… but nothing has changed yet.
The disciples know that they cannot follow Jesus in the way they were doing – literally walking in his footsteps - but they haven’t yet worked out what the new way of following Jesus will look like when they walk the way of Jesus Christ as his new body, the church.
We, too, are in a strange time, as the COVID19 restrictions on society are loosened somewhat, but the life we knew last year still feels a long way distant, and the future very uncertain.
There is a document written to help local churches prepare for the “new normal” – you can find it on the Synod Website here
When you are ready, you will find guidance there about some of the things you will need to think about, and some practical suggestions for how to follow guidance from government, your insurers, and the denomination as you seek to move forward. We will all need to be wise, thoughtful and measured in making any changes. We will also need to bear in mind that different people will be ready for change at different times.
We remember that the book of Acts tells us how the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost with tongues of fire and a mighty rushing wind, and we might want the change to our churches in the next few months to come suddenly and dramatically. But remember, too, that in John’s gospel, Jesus breathes the Spirit onto the disciples when he appears to them in the upper room on Easter Sunday. Or if you think of the baptism of Jesus (in Matthew, Mark and Luke) you will remember that the Spirit descends on Jesus ‘like a dove’ – in the soft flutter of a bird’s wings.
God’s wisdom comes to us through the Holy Spirit, but it does not always come suddenly or dramatically, nor do we all perceive it in exactly the same way. If as a local church we are going to seek God’s guidance we will need to communicate with one another and share our thoughts while seeking ‘the mind of Christ’. There are video-conferences and emails, but also phone calls and letters, all ways we can talk and discuss together. In just the same way, we who are normally at the Synod office can be reached most easily by email, but you can also leave a phone message at the office itself, or send a letter and we will get back to you, so don’t be afraid to ask if we can help your church in any way.
I know how hard it is to remain separated from other church members: I miss my church family as well as my blood family and want to be close. But we must allow wisdom to guide us, care for the most vulnerable, and trust that God will bring us through this time with a deeper sense of belonging to God and to one another, and a stronger sense of our part in God’s mission to the world.
Most of all at this time we remember the very last words of Matthew’s gospel, the words of Christ “I will be with you always, to the end of time.”
God’s love be with you,
Ruth.
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