Living and Flourishing in the New Normal

 

Here we are in Church, some of us have been back to work, some of us have returned to school and others never stopped going to work; some may have managed to have a holiday and others may well still feel that they need to stay at home.

We have all had to cope with these new restrictions and to be honest, it just does not feel comfortable. We may have thought that somehow by this time we may be able to give one another a hug, sit closely together and throw away our facemasks.  New outbreaks or spikes can and will occur.

So what can we do, how are we to live? In the Bible we read about people having to cope with new normal, taken into captivity, travelling through the desert in Exodus, the Exile in Babylon and Jesus facing death on the cross and the apostles travelling to far shores as itinerant preachers.

It was not easy then and it’s not easy now.

How can we sing songs in a strange land? How can we cope let alone feel joy?

When we go back to these stories we can see how the faith of the people of God has sustained them through hard times, giving them hope, strengthening their resolve, inspiring in them a new sense of purpose. This faith was powerful as they held on to the scriptures, prayers, rituals and ethics which maintained their identity as individuals and as a group and helped them to feel the constant presence of God.

Keeping faith in new, unexpected and adverse times is not easy, but it gives us continuity in life as we realise through prayer and worship that God’s ways are so much greater than our human ways, and we live in a changing, uncertain world but God’s plan and mission is eternal.

The crisis brought about by the spread of the virus means that we need to look afresh at our own lives and at the mission and ministry of the church. Our confidence that we are all in God’s hands now and for ever is so basic to the Christian faith but it is something which many people have not come across in a meaningful way. Because living with and rejoicing in the love of God is normal for God’s people, and however wretched the current situation may seem – very much so – we can share our confidence with others by the way we care for our neighbours in Christ and continue with renewed hope and firm confidence in the eternal love and salvation of God. The new normal is a wake-up call to be faithful and to prayerfully seek the Lord’s leading into caring and sharing in this time of change.