As I listen to the Cathedral clock chiming the hour as it always does, I
am grateful for that constancy which speaks to me of God’s unchanging
love and faithfulness, even amid so much disorienting change. At present
I often find I have to pause to remember what day it is and which hour
the clock is striking!
It was wonderful to enter the Cathedral yesterday, open once more to
receive people for private prayer and reflection. Yet the notices, hand
sanitiser and carefully spaced chairs would not have been imaginable at
the start of this year. So much has changed.
‘Change’ is a word which provokes a range of thoughts and emotions
within different people, often depending on the context. Change can be
exciting and energising but it can also be daunting, exhausting and even
frightening.
These last few months have certainly seen a lot of change which we could
not have envisaged this time last year. It is not simply the radical
change brought by lockdown and the trauma of a viral pandemic, it is
also the continual phases of change we are now beginning to face and
plan as we emerge from lockdown and enter seasons which will not look
like life as we once knew it. And in all of that there have been the
expected and unexpected changes in people’s lives which happen
regardless of a viral pandemic.
It is also evident that across our country and our world there is a
renewed desire for change rooted in justice and equality and it is being
expressed in both inspiring and ugly ways as we have seen in all that
has been sparked by the horrific murder of George Floyd. We are people
who are both beautiful and broken, capable of forging life-giving change
or change which diminishes people.
In these days when there is tiredness and endless messages about change
whether it be about shops, household bubbles or our church buildings, we
need to be watching, praying, talking and listening regarding what God
is doing. What is it in your local context that needs to continue or be
returned to, and what are we being called to courageously change in how
we are being Church?
We need to be making space now to reflect on change and the processes we
need to put in place to enable us to live it well, yet this is also the
time when many people are weary. People’s inner resources for
creativity as we first went into lockdown, much of which were fuelled by
adrenaline, may now be depleted and it is important to acknowledge
that. I am also aware how time-consuming it is to be planning ahead for
the different phases which will emerge with government guidance
regarding the use of our church buildings. It would be very easy to keep
our eyes so focused on the detail that we fail to look up at the
significant decisions and discussions we need to be having about the
values and principles God is calling us to embody as we return.
This is no easy path particularly as our own thoughts and emotions will
be changing amid the ups and downs of each present moment. Care and
prayer for one another is important, as is significant time for rest.
In all of this my constant prayer is thankfulness for our God who is
unchanging and yet is always in the business of change and
transformation. Perhaps, we will see with fresh eyes the transformation
to which God is calling us as we say yes to discovering and sharing the
transforming gospel of Jesus Christ so that we and all people may know
life in all its fullness.
With my thanks and prayers as ever,
+Rachel