Monthly Message from Rev Ben Haslam

Well, at least it’s not 2020 anymore. I’m writing this at the end of December, and I honestly don’t know if, by the time you read it, we’ll be in full lockdown, bumped up to tier 3 or blasted into space to live on the moon. I can’t recall entering a new year with so much trepidation and uncertainty, even outright despair, hanging in the air. I am bringing with me though, into this New Year, a few unexpected gifts from 2020. I value time much more than I used to, and I’m more aware of making the most of every single day, even dull days of lockdown. I appreciate the little things so much more. Above all, I have become much more aware of the ways in which God can be present in challenging and bleak circumstances, and therein lies my source of hope for 2021. For example, we know that far more people watched online services last year than ever went to church before the pandemic. When people’s lives and certainties are shaken, they begin to ask to the bigger questions, as seems to have happened over the course of 2020, and this has given God an opportunity to shine through the cracks of our disordered world. Let’s pray that people continue to search for real hope in the only place where it can be truly found – and let’s pray we don’t lose sight of it ourselves.

In John 16.33, Jesus says, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world” Just what we need to hear at this time, and words we know we can trust because of who said them. Because Jesus overcame, we will overcome too. So, in Peter’s words, “Cast all your anxieties on him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5.7).

God bless, Ben