September is often the month when refreshed by our summer holidays, we hit the ground running. Given that most of us left full-time education a while ago, it is slightly odd that September still feels like a sort of new year. These patterns can become entrenched. We do things habitually, even though the reason we started doing them that way has long since passed.
We can be creatures of habit, especially in matters of faith and worship. That applies whether we love the BCP or singing modern worship songs. We find what works for us and hold on to it tightly. Words from the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah that God is “..
.. doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it,” can cut little ice. But God’s new thing is always rooted in his past dealings with us. He doesn’t change, but our context and culture does. If he encourages us to change, it is not for the sake of novelty, but to ensure that the timeless message of the Gospel can be heard afresh by each new generation. The glory of the church is that it looks very different according to the culture in which it is placed. One only has to travel to different parts of the world to witness this.
We recently had our very first Beer Festival at St Michael’s. This wasn’t an initiative to ‘spread the gospel,’ it was primarily about both raising money and holding a fantastic community event. I had countless conversations about life (and some about faith) both with familiar faces and completely new. It was a tremendous success thanks to the sheer hard work of all the volunteers involved – especially Caroline Wheatley whose idea it was in the first place, and who gave incredibly generously of her time and organisational skills to put it together.
Being a part of the Beer Festival was a joy – from conversations to pulling pints (and maybe drinking one or two!), to listening to great music by local bands it struck me afresh how important it is for us to be willing to think outside the box of what we think church is. Our buildings are a heritage – we are custodians of these incredible spaces; but they will one day crumble to the ground. God’s love will never pass away – his truths are everlasting. Seeing the glory of the church continue may require new prescription lenses. What might we need to change so that the Gospel can be heard afresh?
We don’t want to see our church buildings purely as good venues (even if they are), but as places of welcome where community is built and people hear about God’s incredible love.
I know I don’t have all the answers, but I am wondering what this might look like for our Benefice.
As we enter this new season, may we be willing to let go of any traditions we might be holding on to too tightly, and be open to any new thing that God might be doing.
With every blessing, Revd Jo