Readings:
Jeremiah 28: 5-9
Psalm 89: 8-18
Romans 6: 12-end
Matthew 10: 40-end

Collect
Gracious Father,
by the obedience of Jesus
you brought salvation to our wayward world:
draw us into harmony with your will,
that we may find all things restored in him,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Reflection
As we start to emerge from lockdown and the new challenges that this brings, I’m reminded of Moses leading the people out of slavery in Egypt into the wilderness.  The people of God were initially excited to be released from the oppression and brutality that they had experienced in Egypt, they were now free!  But soon they realized that this new freedom wasn’t what they were expecting.  They hadn’t yet entered the Promised Land.  Life was a struggle with nomadic wandering through the desert.  The grass wasn’t greener as the phrase goes, with many longing to go back to slavery where they knew the score, but there was no going back.

Many of us long to go back to how life was at the beginning of the year.  There was a rhythm with a reasonable amount of certainty.  There was a comfort in knowing we could go out and about, meet with those we wanted to and gather physically together in our church buildings enjoying the ability to worship together.  However, we still find ourselves in the wilderness.  We’re in the process of escaping the ‘slavery’ of lockdown but instead of finding the Promised Land we find ourselves in the wilderness.  The difficult decision that WVEC has made not to rush to reopen our church buildings on safety grounds, for some seems to enforce a sense of wandering in the wilderness and a longing for the normal.

In the story, the people of God rant and rage at Moses asking where God is, and on reading this, we are also led to reflect on where is God now.  The people of Israel felt that God had abandoned them in the wilderness and, with our buildings closed, there is this similar sense of abandonment for some, for it is in our church buildings that often people describe feeling the presence of God. These spiritual, holy spaces where folk have gathered to pray for generations are places that bring comfort and a sense of peace.

And yet, God hadn’t abandoned the people, just as we haven’t been abandoned.  God was with his people guiding them through the wilderness, providing manna in the desert, leading them on to the Promised Land.  God is with us now, in our wilderness and the challenge is to listen to what God is saying and where God is leading us. 

As I reflect on this I am reminded of a phrase from the Godly Play story The Great Family.  This story talks about God calling Abram from the safety of Ur where he knew God was, to the city of Haran, where he really wasn’t sure God was at all.  On reaching Haran, Abram was surprised to find God but then God wanted Abram to go out into the desert, away from the security provided by the river, into the unknown.  Abram, not knowing whether God would be there, nevertheless set out into the unknown.  And do you know, he found God at Bethel, Schechem and then again at Mamre and it was at this point Abram realised that God wasn’t just in this place or that place but all of God was in every place.  

We too can take courage and find reassurance, strength and encouragement to venture on through the wilderness into the unknown knowing God isn’t just here or there but all of God is in all places. God isn’t restricted to a building, God is everywhere.  

During this time in the wilderness, we have more opportunity than ever to find ways of encountering God.  For some it will be about creating their own quiet place at home, maybe with a candle, cross or picture; for others it might be finding God in the wonder and beauty of creation as they take their daily exercise or regularly visit a special outside place.  Maybe it is in an unexpected encounter; maybe it’s that space when we sit and join in a service online, over the phone or when we talk and pray with a friend.

When we purposefully reflect on our daily encounters, activities and actions, we will find God more than we often think or expect, for God is within us and all about us, the ground of our being and the very essence of our relationship with the whole of creation.

Some may feel unsettled, resentful, confused; others may feel excited, energized and hopeful. There will undoubtedly be a range of emotions and responses to the situation we find ourselves in and as a result of decisions that have been made so far. But one thing is for certain, the church hasn’t closed, we haven’t been abandoned. God is with us and even waiting for us in new places, leading us or calling us to a new and glorious place! 

As we journey through this new wilderness may we take strength and encouragement from this knowledge.  May we actively seek that holy place for us; that place where God comes so close to us and we come so close to God that we know what God wants us to do and be.  For Moses, this began with the burning bush.  I wonder where your burning bush, or holy place, might be? 

Together we search and pray, we dream and discern where God is calling and inspiring us in the Watling Valley and we encourage one another through the wilderness and into new and exciting ways of sharing the Good News of Jesus, and engaging with a gospel that is love, justice and joy.

Mike Morris