My 2020: A Time of Reflection
For almost two-thirds of Christians who responded to our survey, last year provided opportunities for reflection; they found time to re-evaluate priorities and think deeply about the church and mission. Here’s a taste of their reflections.
(From the January - March 2021 issue of VOX)
From Dublin
“I feel this year has been an important one for me and for the church as we’ve learned new and innovative ways to communicate. We’ve also had opportunities to reach people who, up to this point, would not attend on Sundays. Also had opportunities to spend more time chatting with close neighbours, due to the lockdown.”
From Armagh
“I realised we are able to reach the lost outside the church community if we go looking.”
From Limerick
“Can church go back to what it was pre Covid? No, I don’t think so! Church is at the heart of the spread of the Kingdom of God on earth (your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven). Each member of the body has a part to play. No more passive Sunday come-and-goers. God is prepared to speak and to act. Now is the time as next time it may be too late!”
From Cork
“How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? That is always a challenge but Covid-19 has made me think more deeply about ministry and mission. There is always a way, and always those who need to hear the song. The Spirit invites us to change and growth.”
From Louth
“The Lord has been speaking to me to not get lost in the fight but to get lost in Him. The fight for freedom is not necessarily our cause - our call is to preach the gospel and present the Kingdom of God. As we come to the place of intimacy, our eyes will be opened to the opportunities that have been set before us. The world has never shut down the church, we have to hear from the Lord and trust His leading for there are opportunities in every storm or circumstance.”
From Cork
“It is just so ‘grounding’ to know that God is in control, and nothing can happen without His allowing it. Over the years, realising that fact has usually made me ask, ‘Lord, you’ve seen fit to allow this to happen so what are you trying to teach me through it?’”
From Tyrone
“God remains faithful and unmoved by it all. The gospel remains a simple invitation. The song Waymaker, particularly earlier in the year, was one to press into.”
From Cork
“Not being able to meet in church has allowed me to think about what church is, i.e. people who have been redeemed by Jesus. Church is and needs to be more than our meetings and rituals.”
From Leitrim
“What I have observed is that even those who claim to be Christian are consumed by fear. You either trust God or you don’t. For me, God has numbered my days and I will be taken in His time and I have no fear. “
Thought Provoking - Dublin
“I follow a daily reading pattern from the Northumbria Community. This was the entry on 8 May:
Some years ago in intercession we were warned of a rising tide of the Spirit that would change the landscape all around. People who had previously never been isolated would suddenly find themselves alone on ‘small islands’ surprised, bewildered, cut off from familiar demands and expectations, learning just to seek God. What do they need, these new island-dwellers so suddenly alone? They feel isolated but actually they are more linked... by the tide of the Spirit! A small boat appears. In the boat are willing friends bringing much-needed encouragement and carefully chosen supplies. They also point out and recognise the resources already there, unnoticed and unharnessed in that place. God has prepared us for such a time as this. Are you willing to be anointed for this task of encouragement? (Andy Raine)
The connection to our 2020 life is, I think, obvious. My own experience and observations suggest to me the need to develop new forms of monasticism - intensive spiritual discipline towards maturity, to prepare us for future crises that will invariably come. Too many people have relied upon public/corporate expressions of faith that demand little personal commitment (and receive even less). When these gatherings are not possible, like plants in shallow ground, these people wither and die. I think that a conversation around this, one that draws upon the many international and historical examples of vibrant monasticism, would prove incredibly stimulating.
And more from Dublin!
“It’s reconfirmed to me that the Church is most clearly aligned with Jesus’ Kingdom mission and purposes when it has left its buildings! Salt out of the saltshaker! Light, not under a basket but shining out right in the middle of a dark and discouraged world. There is a great role for the church gathered... But, as the Church in Acts 8:1 discovered, the good news about Jesus and the Kingdom of God spread widely as the church was scattered.”
“I am both scared and excited to see how this pandemic changes our world once it’s ‘over’. It will be interesting to see how the world responds in good and bad ways. What will we continue to do, what will we start doing again, what will we appreciate more?”
“I’ve enjoyed the slowed-down pace of life. The huge amount of positive texts/videos/poetry/music etc. shared on WhatsApp at the start [of the pandemic] allowed me to share my faith more openly with others. People were so vulnerable and open to God, to hearing and sharing where they were at themselves. It was like months of snowdays where everyone cared beyond themselves. My pastor posed a great challenge to our congregation recently, ‘When Covid is over and we look back, how will we finish this sentence... “This happened so that...”? How will we have used this time to develop our relationship with Jesus?’”
“Have loved the song Build My Life by Housefires during this season. This time has been a challenge. With all stripped away are we grasping at the loss of sport, social gatherings, etc. or grasping for more of Christ the ultimate sustainer and the only one who brings great joy in all situations we go through? It deeply saddens me how blind we can be to the mission of Christ.”
“Spent more time learning and listening to Bible-based programmes as well as reading more. I miss fellowship connections but have found ways to reach out and serve. [There is] certainly much more time to reflect and plan.”
A Time of Listening
We asked people to share Bible verses that have been a comfort and help.
From Dublin
Isaiah 26:20 - “Come my people, enter your chambers and shut your doors behind you, hide yourselves for a little while until the Lord’s wrath is past.” This verse of scripture sums up 2020.
From Antrim
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
From Cork
A verse that has meant a lot when I grow weary is from Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.
From Monaghan
“Be still and know that I am God” became an active reality.
From Dublin
“Be still and know that I am God” has stayed with me throughout the craziness this year and the fear many were experiencing didn’t get to me. I actually felt peaceful.
From Roscommon
Psalm 23 - He is with me as I go through the valley of the shadow of death.
From Dublin
Psalm 146:4–5 - “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.
When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God,
who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever.”
From Meath
Romans 15:13 - “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” We have no control. God is in control and when I trust in Him, I have peace and joy.
From Cavan
“Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev. Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.” - Psalm 126:4-6. God has always restored His people’s fortunes in the past, and so He will do it again!”
From Louth
Ecclesiastes 1:1-10 reminds us of vanity and that there is nothing new and so no need to fear l think.
From Dublin
John 14:27 - “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
