Message from Tim

Freedom…from fear?

Well, how have you enjoyed your first week of relative freedom? Lockdown has been eased in a variety of ways: we are free to send some of our children back to school, to meet outdoors in groups of six, either socially or for exercise (so long as we keep our distance) and if we have been shielding, we have been told – quite unexpectedly – that we can venture outdoors again once a day, and to meet one other person if we live alone. The rest of us can go out as much as we like, including paying a visit to an outdoor market or a car showroom. And competitive sport is back in business too. So – how much have you done and how did it go?

The initial granting of these freedoms met with a mixed reaction. For some of us, there was a sense of relief and liberation. Others shared the misgivings voiced by some scientists that relaxing so many measures all at once seemed to be doing too much, too soon and too quickly. Some apparently fixed points shifted in unexpected ways; there have been some mixed messages and a lack of detail, all compounded by some pretty melodramatic media attention.
The more finely attuned your social conscience, the more likely it is that you will have found the resultant lack of social cohesion to have been a source of real concern, and looking into the future, there is plenty more to be anxious about, if that’s the way your mind tends to work.

So, when Jesus tells us not to be anxious about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34), you may feel that is easier said than done. Yet we are also reminded that the Spirit God has given us is not a source of fear, but rather makes us capable, loving and sensible (2 Timothy 1:7). It is the Spirit who gives us the inner resources we need to apply ourselves to the responsibilities we carry for ourselves, our families, at work and at home.

So, this Trinity Sunday my prayer for you is taken from Ephesians 3:16-17: I pray that, out of his glorious riches, the Father may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

In these times of uncertainty and change, as we venture out of lockdown into a way of life that feels strange and unfamiliar, may your fixed point be the indwelling presence of the living God governing your heart and mind, your thoughts, your feelings and your actions, and keeping you in his peace