Normal wasn’t working. Normal was a crisis

In the midst of a pandemic everyone wants to go back to normal and indeed, when it comes to practices, so do I. I want to travel, attend sporting events, I want to not wear a mask and I want to sing in church, despite not being able to hit a note.

But we should also consider that normal, not the practices but the state of normal wasn’t the best and actually although I’m grateful and thankful for so much of what we experience I believe there is better.

Here’s a few reasons why normal wasn’t working:

• Anxiety and Depression rates were rising, especially amongst teenagers
• Free Speech is being threatened constantly. Having an opinion different to someone else’s is now the cardinal sin.
• Cancel culture is growing. People are losing their jobs because of an opinion, sometimes a scientifically proven opinion.
• Emotions rule scientific fact and enquiry.
• Governments lie and are never held to account. Take WMD and the lies told about COVID-19. Government should serve the people and not self-interest or political agenda. The economic decisions made throughout this pandemic will have disproportionately adverse effects on whom? The poor, the marginalised and the weakest.
• Racism is still very much alive and well on planet earth, even within our most ‘progressive’ societies.
• We don’t think about our planet enough.
• There’s too much them and us and not enough we.
• We don’t admit the mistakes and failures of history. (We can do that, by the way, without forgetting or totally demonising our history).
• We’ve turned following Jesus into a political allegiance.
• We are ruled by fear.
• We still think power is for crushing others. It’s called, ‘empire’.
• We struggle to love ourselves, much less our neighbour as ourselves.
• The voices calling for change want to burn the house down.

We desperately need something new…

Something true

Something honest

Something just

Something pure

Something lovely

Something of good report

Something praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8)

CAN YOU THINK OF ANYTHING LIKE THAT?

That is what we need.

CAN YOU THINK OF ANYONE LIKE THAT?

That is who we need

Selah

There is an answer…

The Church must Lead the Way

Jesus idea of the Kingdom of God amongst us needs to take hold like never before.

If Jesus were you how would he live?