Hi folks,
I hope you are coping ok and keeping well. This is a strange time in the history of humanity, never mind in the history of the Church, and we have no idea how long it will last. Every Sunday I probably bored you by saying how blessed we were to be able to come to church unhindered, with no persecution or restrictions. Who would have thought it would be a small (but dangerous) virus that would keep us away?
I keep thinking about the last service we had in JHPC. Not one of us knew it would be the last one for who knows how long. We left that Sunday assuming we could meet again the following Sunday. It just shows you how much we take for granted in our lives.
Please keep strong. Please keep praying. You don’t need fancy words: God is interested in your heart, not your vocabulary. The prognosis isn’t good, but keep hoping and praying that this will be over and we’ll soon be back together again. Until then, make use of all the various services offered online. The Church of Scotland has a list of services you can access online – http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk
Meanwhile there are a few things you may like to do. The first one is: Light a candle and put it in your window every Sunday at 7pm and pray. This is a request from the Rt Rev Colin Sinclair, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, who said: “When so much is not normal how lovely it can be to come together at 7pm each Sunday and have a few moments in which we can pray together.” This is supported by Churches Together In England and throughout Scotland.
The second thing we can do is clap – or make a right racket – on Thursday nights at 8pm, to show our appreciation for all in the NHS who are serving in the front line fight against this virus. We can also remember those in the service industries who keep the country going.
I have arranged for our Church Bell to be rung at that time also. This is a community exercise which I find very moving.
I pray for you every day.
God bless
Ann