Dear all,

I wonder if I’m the only one who finds there is something incongruous about the lovely spring flowers, sunshine, and the broader situation we find ourselves in?
It is indeed strange to have children finishing schools 4 months early, and probably missing out on all that goes along with finishing well.
It is also strange to see supermarket shelves empty as people panic buy, when rationally we know from the rest of the year that there is enough for everyone.

At such a time as this there are things that we can do.
Firstly, we are called to pray. This Sunday 22nd, our Church will be open from 9am - 5pm for prayer. Chairs will be arranged to avoid transmission of infection. If we can source alcoholic gel, there will some on arrival. Otherwise, our bathrooms will be open, and people will need to wash hands on arrival (and if possible, also before leaving the house please).

There will be a video Sermon available on our website, and we will send out a link soon. I’d still like to focus on our regular readings, so this week we'll be focussing on Mothering Sunday. But I’d also like to encourage you to watch the archbishop's live stream service when it goes live on Sunday morning.

There are still lots of other things to bear in mind. Our kids, especially those who should be finishing their respective schools, are experiencing a sort of grief.
Who would have thought not having exams could be so painful. But it is. In some cases, students have been studying for 3 years to complete their courses.
They're also are not able to hug their friends on what is probably the last day of the school year today. This also means there will be no end of year residentials, concerts, leaver’s services… in short, no ‘proper finish’ we're previously used to.
I heard recently that "good finishes lead to good beginnings". So I think we all need to think about how we can provide opportunities for our children to express their disappointments, and to celebrate their achievements.

One thing I’m personally hoping to do over the next few months is spend more time in the outdoors with friends and family. This seems like a logical and seasonally appropriate response. While you can’t walk side by side with people, you can join people in walking together but physically over 2 metres apart.
You can also still play tennis, or kick a football, or go for a walk in the woods.
Let’s take this as an opportunity to connect with the outdoors, where we're safer to express our God-given desire to explore and to enjoy colour & new things.

Please continue to pray for:
Our NHS staff as they're the front-line against the disease. In our congregation we have nurses, practitioners, physios, care workers, and doctors. But please also pray beyond for those who work in A&E, ICU, respiratory, and elderly care.
Those in charge of making decisions: the PM, the Chancellor, and all those with significant government portfolios, as well as civil servants charged with making these decisions happen.
Local responses. We’re still figuring out how it will work - the council is aiming to have a co-ordinated response and we’ll try as best we can to work with them.
Hospitality industry workers who are facing job losses at this time.
The sick, those who are immune-compromised, and our over-70 congregation.

One of the profound questions that will come out of this pandemic was already asked by the Psalmist several thousand years ago:
‘How can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?’ (Psalm 137:4)
This is a question from someone experiencing disorientation. How on earth do we praise God when there is so much anxiety and unfamiliarity?
Well firstly we do it together. This is not a time for lone rangers, it's a time to share our strengths and weaknesses, with God’s help.

Secondly, it's a time to be careful about what we consume. Lent challenges us with the difficult task of cutting down. If possible, try to turn notifications off your phone and spend 2 mins in the morning and 20 mins in the evening catching up on the news. It's changing fast, but not so fast that we need to access news more than twice a day. And your mental health with improve dramatically.

Finally, amidst financial uncertainty, this is time for a focus on simplicity.
Even if our jobs are secure, many are vulnerable and will appreciate our thoughtfulness and desire to walk with them.

God bless,
Phil