Our readings remind us that one day we shall live with Christ. They are unsettling, because they remind us that we are going to suffer and die before we share Christ’s resurrection and promotion to glory.Baptism is the sacrament that unites with Christ. It reminds us that when we choose to follow him and become his disciples, we don’t just share in his wonderful ministry of healing the sick and saving the sinner, we also share in his death. Being plunged into water is a symbol of dying and being buried with Christ and rising up is a symbol of sharing in his resurrection.COVID 19, the loss of many who were close to us and the economic downturn has reminded us that we are all vulnerable. Death is a great leveller. Economic downturn however is not. There will have been winners and losers through this pandemic, those who have lost their jobs and have little hope of finding one and those who have profited because there has been a greater need for the products they produce. Globally we will be poorer. Hard work, generosity, kindness and goodness will be needed more than it was before the crisis.It will be tempting to continue to stay indoors and not reach out; to protect what we have and not take risks.We are reminded that the way Jesus walked was not easy. He suffered death and was buried so that he might pour his life into us. His life was freely given, a gift we do not deserve, so that we might live his risen life.We are plunged into and united in Christ in Baptism so that we might be dead to sin. When life becomes increasingly competitive again, it will be tempting to protect ourselves and forget about the needs of others.If we are Christians, we have made the choice to follow a crucified Lord. Our gospels tell that Jesus was maligned, lies were told about him. He was identified with Baalzebub, the prince of demons; of using evil powers.One of the most frightening things that can happen to us, particularly in an age where slander and suing others is commonplace, is to have lies told about us. It is very difficult to shake them off. Lies can follow us throughout our lives, appearing in our DBS checks, causing fear and disabling our ministries.Jesus tells us not to fear because one day the truth will come out. We must be authentic truth tellers and proclaim what Jesus has spoken to us in secret in our inner lives through prayer from the housetops.People may kill our bodies but they are unable to kill our souls which are united with him.Jesus has ultimate power and authority over those who hurt others yet he doesn’t exercise that power brutally. He is merciful and loving. God loves us. We are worth much more than what is bought and sold in the marketplace. “Even the hairs on our head are numbered.” Proclaiming Christ crucified will not bring peace. Jesus tells us that it will divide our communities and families and we will be persecuted. As Jesus loves us, so we are called to love and follow him before everyone and everything else, even our families. Jesus asks us to take up our cross, to identify with him in his death so we might live his risen life.The present pandemic reminds us that we cannot save our lives or avoid physical death, so like Christ let’s not lose the time left to us here on earth. May others see Jesus in us as we share his love in word and deed without fear, knowing we loved by God.Faithful Creator,whose mercy never fails:deepen our faithfulness to youand to your living Word,Jesus Christ our Lord.
A lot of conspiracy theories have been doing the rounds at the moment. Some of them try to persuade us that COVID 19 is a humanly manufactured virus sent from China to destroy us. Others inform us that the end times have come upon us and the prophecies concerned with a one world government in the Bible are about to take place. These theories engender fear and to some extent are irrelevant. Humans have always lived in dangerous times. Jesus reassures us that whether we are near the end or not, he is with us always, “even to the end of the age.” Paul reminds us in his letter to the Corinthians, in the words of the prayer we now call “The Grace,” that God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three persons, one God, loves us and that we are invited into that love. We do not deserve his love. We receive it because of his grace shown to us when our Lord Jesus Christ died for us so that we might have a relationship with him. When we trust him and invite him into our lives we come into fellowship or communion with him through the work of the Holy Spirit who makes us one. Each member of the Trinity is involved in our salvation. Our Father sent Jesus his only Son, Jesus willingly lived among us and died for us and the Holy Spirit works within us and in the world making God known. They work together to lift us up into fellowship with God and the whole company of saints in heaven and on earth.It is from this position, in relationship with, (as Isaiah reminds us) the creator of our beautiful universe that we are called to participate in God’s work. Before Jesus ascended into heaven and left his disciples he commanded them to go and make disciples of all nations, to baptise them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and to teach everything Jesus had commanded them. This commission was dangerous, difficult and impossible, yet the disciples were obedient and the world was changed because Jesus was with them in the power of the Holy Spirit. At the moment we cannot go anywhere and we cannot physically baptise anyone because it would require us to be too close. We can, however teach and continue to meet online. We can also invite friends and family into the spiritual transformation that is symbolised in baptism, in which we are plunged into the love of God and become part of the community of heaven.We can also live out our baptisms, so that become more and more like our God who loves us so much.In the past we have expressed the Church’s beliefs about the Trinity in our creeds. When we recite the Nicene or Athanasian creed on a Sunday, we often do not understand the theology behind them. They were formulated by the best theologians and doctors of the church of their time to counteract heresies. Sadly in the past they have been used, not as a way of sharing God’s love but as a means of persecuting those who think differently. Instead of lifting up the faithful, they have sometimes placed a heavy burden upon them. Today many theologians see the relationship between us and the Trinity as understood best through experiencing God’s fullness at work in our lives and in the world. They see in the Godhead a dance going on that we are invited to join, or table fellowship we are invited to share. They see the love each member of the Trinity shows towards the other and the way in which each works together as creating circle of love we are invited to enter.It is from within this place of being lifted up into an ongoing relationship with Christ that we are enabled to communicate and share God’s love for his world. When we wait upon the Lord, and pray, Isaiah reminds us that we shall renew our strength. Even if we are elderly, sick or vulnerable, we will mount up with wings like eagles. We shall run and not be weary and walk and not faint. May God give us strength to counteract theories that instil fear with the overwhelming, uplifting, powerful love of God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.Holy God,faithful and unchanging:enlarge our minds with the knowledge of your truth,and draw us more deeply into the mystery of your love,that we may truly worship you,Father, Son and Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever. Amen
120 of Jesus’ friends and family came out of lockdown rapidly when the Holy Spirit came upon them. They poured out onto the streets of Jerusalem with a passion and love which overcame their fear of death and their fear of the Jews.They spoke with other languages as the Holy Spirit enabled them and told those who had come to Jerusalem for the Jewish feast how even though they crucified the Messiah, God’s chosen one, he had risen from the dead and was alive. If they repented and were sorry for their sins and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and were baptised, they would be saved and receive the Holy Spirit.Their generosity in selling what they had and giving to the poor and sharing their belongings meant that no one went hungry and their joy and gladness was evident for all to see.They had fellowship with each other and the Lord and worshipped in the temple on a daily basis and many signs and wonders were done in Jesus’ name and the Lord added daily to their number those who were being saved.The flame that was seen on each of the heads of those in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost burnt brightly burnt brightly for a short time. Locking themselves away had been sensible. They had seen what had happened to Jesus and they needed to protect their friends and family. Persecution was inevitable when they came out of lockdown and continued to preach about Jesus. All were persecuted and the majority died a martyr’s death. The rushing mighty wind which brought them back to life and propelled them onto the streets continued to guide them throughout their lives. It was persecution however, which dispersed the friends forcing them to move out of Jerusalem. Because they travelled throughout the known world, Christianity spread quickly and a cruel world was transformed in many places by the power of Christ’s love. It is difficult for a church in lockdown to burn brightly. Assembling together was vital for the early Christians for the Holy Spirit gave different gifts to many members. Only together could they show the love of Christ to the world.When our Bishops ordered us to lock our church buildings, it seemed as if our voices would no longer be heard and that we were disengaging with our world, something that has never happened before. We have been missing the hugs of both our biological family and church family members. Many of you in lockdown on your own for over two months now, must have felt extremely isolated.Those who are elderly and vulnerable in society have been commanded to stay at home and have had to rely on the generosity of others. Food has been left on doorsteps and many with relatives have received daily phone calls from loved ones.Receiving food and medicine is necessary to sustain life, but more important is having an opportunity to love others. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” We need someone to love. I am so glad that you are phoning each other on a regular basis. I trust that you are praying for each other. These are ways of loving.We have a wonderful opportunity to draw closer to God in prayer. Our loving and giving is God’s work in his world and he will show us the way forward.There are churches who have sacrificially given of their time and finance to help others. New Starts on Frankley estate has given out masses of food parcels. Jo, the manager of the shop shared what is happening in our zoom service on Thursday.During this time however, we need to be wise as well as loving. Now is not the time to stream on to our streets, trusting that Jesus will protect us from COVID 19. Many are still catching the virus and dying and most of us are in a high risk age group. Unlike the early Christians, we can easily communicate with others using the phone and modern technology.During lockdown our buildings have become less important. Because most services either take place through zoom or live streaming, those who wouldn’t normally be able to travel, the sick, the disabled and those without cars are able to participate.We are able to look at a variety of Christian services using different kinds of music. This will give us lots of ideas and enhance what we do in our own setting.Younger people, who are more savvy than we are with technology, are more able to participate. On Thursday two of our children were able to introduce the service with a video showing us what Pentecost was all about. Zoom meetings enable us to feel more equal. There is no hierarchy. No one can hide at the back of the church as we all appear in matching frames.Churches across the world are weighing up the need to physically worship together against their fear of catching the infection. Sadly this week we have heard about more than 40 churchgoers who attended a service after lockdown was eased in Germany earlier this month who have contracted coronavirus.The service was held on 10 May at a Baptist church in Frankfurt. Church officials say they followed social distancing rules and disinfected the building ahead of the service.Those attending services had kept 1.5m (5ft) apart, and were provided with hand sanitizer.Our church buildings are not going to open for services soon, though I may be allowed to conduct small weddings and funerals shortly. We need to implement a lot of safeguarding measures before we open which will make fellowship awkward. It is easier to continue as we are.When we do reopen our doors, it is important that we don’t disenfranchise those unable to attend. I guess zoom meetings will continue for years to come alongside our regular worship. They will be particularly useful during times of heavy snow, during the yearly cycle race and if there is a fuel crisis. The church will never be the same againMeanwhile, instead of streaming into our streets and shops, let’s stay at home and concentrate on inviting our friends and family along with those we miss to learn about Jesus through social media and through our love.
