From
The Rectory
Sadly,
as I write (24/5/20), our church buildings remain locked. There is not definite
clarity on when they will be able to open either for private prayer or for
public services.
The
government has said that the earliest that church services might be able to
resume is Saturday 4th July, but that would be with social
distancing and likely other conditions. Face coverings might be recommended. In
some states in Germany, those wishing to attend had to register in advance and
sign in on arrival. Singing was not allowed.
The
latest Church of England advice can be found at:
And
this will continue to be updated.
We
will of course let you know via the Warbelton Church website and social media
when we are able to say anything more definite. Keep an eye on: warbletonchurch.org.uk
We
will want to open up our church buildings as soon as that is permitted and it
can be done with a reasonable degree of safety, but we recognise that will be a
challenge. Ideally one would have teams of people on hand to clean everything
several times a day and monitor use.
These
extraordinary times give us an opportunity to reflect on our church buildings.
Sometimes
they are a headache to those of us who have to worry about heating and
maintaining them. The location and facilities are not necessarily ideal. Why
they didn’t install loos, kitchens, a range of Sunday school rooms, 21st
Century audio-visual systems and Wi-Fi in the 13th Century I just
don’t know!
Yet
I think we should be very grateful for our church buildings. There is something
wonderful to be able to meet and pray where our forefathers have for
generations or for centuries. Our iconic church buildings are intended to make
a public statement that Jesus Christ is Lord. Christian faith is not actually
meant to be something merely private and domestic. It is open to all and should
have its public manifestations. We pray that “the church” might be at the heart
of and transform our communities. Our buildings are a sign of that intent.
At
their best, our church buildings can remind us that our faith is always ancient
and modern. Christianity wasn’t some fad dreamt up in 1960, but neither is it
ever out of date. Our buildings shouldn’t be museum pieces set in aspic. They
should adapt for contemporary use whilst valuing the inheritance with which
we’ve been entrusted from the past for the future. And so it is with the
Christian faith. We have much to learn from previous generations, but the
unchanging faith of the Scriptures needs to be applied afresh in each generation.
Some traditions which have been passed down to us ought to be prized. Others
will need sensitive revision!
But
our church buildings are not of the essence of the Christian faith. Of course
we mustn’t make idols of them. They are not magic means of getting in touch
with the divine.
Even
in Old Testament times when God had promised to be especially present in the
Jerusalem Temple to bless his people, he warned them to remember that he is the
creator of heaven and earth who fills all things. Of course he does not live in
temples made by human hands. He isn’t limited or confined to so called “sacred
spaces”.
People
will sometimes say that they can commune with God as well on a hillside or
beach as in a church building. True enough. But this does risk missing
something and that is that we need one another.
The
Bible’s word for church means those who are called out. It refers not to a
building but to a gathering or assembly of people, a congregation. It could be
used for civic meetings called for a purpose such as an election or a political
decision. The ancient people of Israel gathered at Mount Sinai to receive the
Law of God gives us a picture of the Church. Church is the people of God
gathered around the Word of God to worship him – and that could be in a church
building or on the village green, or elsewhere.
The
Bible warns us not to neglect meeting together. We need one another to
encourage and help one another. Just as our generation doesn’t have a monopoly
on the truth, neither do I or my family. The church is a body of many different
parts, all of which are valuable and necessary. God in his wisdom has given us
all different gifts which we are to use together for the common good – for the
health of the whole body.
At
the moment, we can’t meet together as we would like to, but the phone and
internet have helped us to continue to minister to one another. Imperfect as it
is, we are able to gather together on a Sunday live on Facebook or catch up on
You Tube, or listen to sermons via the website or over the phone. More than
twenty of us have met at least once on a Wednesday evening via Zoom for prayer,
Bible study and fellowship and anyone connected to our churches is very welcome
to join us. Drop me an email if you’d like to know how. marc_lloyd@hotmail.com
Let’s
give thanks for our church buildings and pray that we are able to get back into
them soon and safely. Ask God to give us his wisdom and help (including
financial resources!) that our buildings would be good servants of the gospel
in these parishes for present and future generations. But let’s above all pray
for one another at this time, for our fellowship in Jesus Christ which does not
depend on a building. Let us pray that we might be the healthy and growing body
of Christ in these parishes, wherever and how ever we are able to meet
together, for Jesus’ name sake. Amen.
The Revd Marc Lloyd
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