THIS UNBEARABLE HOLIDAY: BELIEVING | DAVID BRACEWELL
“The Church is not peripheral to the world,
the world is peripheral to the Church.”
Ephesians 1. 21 (The Message)
As the weeks go by confusion reigns and the collective mood keeps shifting. We long for freedom but, truth to tell, we are still a bit scared. The television cameras have led us into Intensive Care Units and we have seen what the pestilence can do. And in the unfolding situation the government seems to have perfected the art of the U-turn. “Track and trace can be set aside, track and trace is our main escape route.” “Face masks don’t really help, everyone must wear a face mask on public transport.” “Air bridges are not workable, air bridges must be developed.” No wonder we’re confused.
But here’s the thing. In the midst of all this bewilderment there is cause for gratitude. Cleaner air, quieter roads, kinder people, louder bird song. At a deeper level, attitudes are shifting. There is a new sense, in this selfie generation, of pulling together, a new valuing of relationships over possessions, a new desire to care for others, the elderly, the lonely and the sick. And a new appreciation of freedoms we have casually enjoyed and now lost for a while. But these are tender plants, easily uprooted and needing to be regularly nourished, like the sweet peas we planted the other evening, uprooted the next morning by one of our resident squirrels. I’m not a violent man, but if it tries it again…
Still deeper are the precious green shoots of spiritual awakening. Here are a few statistics:
Church attendance, normally running at 5-7% of the population has sky rocketed to 24%, 5% of whom say they would never dream of going anywhere near a church
A 55% increase in the demand for bibles during April
3.3million enquires about available prayer schemes
3 million views of The UK Blessing song in 3 weeks
A 300% increase in church-led food banks
Massive uptake on attendance at the Alpha course (online)
Enter the Church! Could this just be the first telltale streak of grey light in the dark skies of the pestilence? A hint of a new dawn? The cynic in me says, “Unlikely." This is more likely to be a blip. Once we are out of this mess we will revert, in church and nation, to the way we were before.” But then my cynical self is immediately challenged by my visionary self that cries, “Maybe, just maybe God is going to use this time to bring spiritual awakening to our nation.” Pondering these things, I stumbled upon a stirring talk given by Pete Grieg of 24/7 delivered online at the Wildfires conference 2020. He said two striking things: “If this surge of spiritual enquiry proves to be a blip, then it’s a great blip to have.” And, “I would rather be proved wrong as an optimist than be proved right as a pessimist.”
So what are we to do? What should I do?
First, I must pray, pray, pray! “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7.14)
Then I need to understand that the God who reigns on high has not been taken off guard by the pestilence. He’s not looking down saying, “Goodness me, I never saw that coming.” He knows, he understands, he cares, and he will act. He’s in control and he’s always been in control.
Then I must be bold to believe, and to say I believe that the spiritual hunger arising is not a panic response to unnatural times, but an instinctive desire to return to the quality of life we were designed to enjoy. I’ve been reading a book by the historian Tom Holland called “Dominion”. The thesis is that the common convictions we hold about truth and justice, honesty and fidelity are all rooted in the Christian faith. The increasing numbers of people in the West who dismiss Christianity as a pointless superstition are heirs to its truth and still live by its values.
And I need to be flexible. My recent curmudgeonly blast about needing to return to my church building rather than settle for a life of zooming has to be reviewed. I have a personal antipathy to online communication, and I need to get over it. The ways of telling the truth of the Gospel online which the local church has been forced to explore are here to stay and likely to grow.
If what is happening now in terms of online communication is likely to become the norm for many and a way into traditional church for others, then we must pour as much effort, skill and imagination into the process as we possibly can. Not slickness, but integrity, truth and passion. These are the qualities that will win the day in a time of human fragility and spiritual hunger.
Where do we begin? Well here’s a question: “What should every church make sure it includes on its website just now?” For my money the answer would be, “A clear invitation to explore the Christian Faith.” The wretched pestilence has gifted us perhaps the greatest evangelistic opportunity of a generation. There is a brilliant course called Alpha, but there are others. Or a church can create its own.
“The Church is not peripheral to the world…” But we have been lulled, or bludgeoned, into thinking so by the shrill voices of unbelief. It is time to fight back: “…the world is peripheral to the Church.”
This is sounding more like a sermon than a reflection but then I am a preacher and another thing the pestilence has robbed me of is the privilege of exercising that glorious and terrifying ministry. So be it. For congregations up and down the land that may come as a mercy.
