Roadmap to Recovery.
By the time Boris had finished his national update on Monday evening, two brides had emailed me to request a postponement to their March & early-April marriages respectively. It prompted me to dig through the 68 page 'HM Government / COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021 (CP398)' and produce a 5 page resource for wedding couples. The 'Step 1' visual aid was ambiguous about wedding restrictions; ITV.com didn't mention weddings in their own summary; the national C of E page is yet to be updated! Suffice to say, we are entering a confusing but exciting time. And watching people walk by in the balmy sun, less distanced than before, it won't be easy for the nation to take a "gradual & cautious approach to reopening".
'Protect, provide and support' are key words in the Government's Executive Summary. Their overriding goal is to protect the lives & livelihoods of citizens. To provide economically for individuals, businesses & jobs. To support groups which have felt the impact of the pandemic more acutely (such as family/friend visits to care home residents). Above all, the commitment is to, "building back better". Does it surprise you that Jesus used the same language for the 'kingdom' he claimed was near? "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church..." Church is just the plural for 'disciple', those who apprentice themselves to Jesus and his way of life. Kingdom describes the fruit of that way of life - the sovereign rule or government of the creator God. Jesus' public life & death & resurrection were stages or Steps on that roadmap for setting the world to rights.
I like the way that a band called 'Rend Collective' put it. "We seek Your kingdom first/ We hunger and we thirst/ Refuse to waste our lives/ For You're our joy and prize/ To see the captive hearts released/ The hurt, the sick, the poor at peace/ We lay down our lives for Heaven's cause." This, I think, is what Jesus means when he tells his followers to, "TAKE-UP your cross, DENY yourself and FOLLOW me". Yes, giving up something for Lent or taking-up something new can help us fix our eyes on Jesus and model our life on his. But in the heart of occupied territory, Jesus walked straight into danger in Jerusalem. Not a risky gamble that might just pay off, but certain death. God's kingdom, coming on earth as it is in heaven, challenges & overturns our normal, human assumptions about power and glory. About what is really important in life and in the world. As we prepare to reopen our church buildings, what will it look like to walk alongside those in pain because of business closures; violent crime; depression & anxiety; long-Covid; bereavement? What will it look like to lay down our lives for Heaven's cause?
rev'd david
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