'What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light;

and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.'

(Matthew 10:27)

This seems an appropriate place to start, as we enter our fourteenth week of lockdown in Wales; hearing of restrictions beginning to be lifted, longing for freedoms we took for granted, yet knowing we must continue to wait.

Jeremiah waited a long time, as he continued to obey God's call on his life, speaking strong words of God's judgement and immanent catastrophe. As time went on, he lost credibility and had his own doubts about the truth of the message God had given him:

“O Lord you have enticed me, and I was enticed;

You have overpowered me, and you have prevailed.”

(Jeremiah 20:7)

Both passages today remind us of the potential costs of carrying God's message to others. Jesus recognised this only too well, as he prepared to send his disciples on their first mission.

The twelve have followed him, witnessing healings, teaching and challenges about false prophets- as well as listening to his inspiring sermon on the mount. They'd heard Jesus speak about how the harvest is great but the labourers are few.

And, at the start of chapter 10, all they have witnessed culminates in a call to action from Jesus: you've watched, learned, now go and do likewise. But then, hang on a moment, wait, let's just have one more reality check before you go- and we hear these verses of encouragement, comfort and challenge.

'Those who find their life will lose it,

And those who lose their life for my sake will find it.'

(Matthew 10:39)

Next month, we have the opportunity to mark rural mission Sunday with resources from the Arthur Rank Centre. Coming from a rural circuit in Yorkshire last year, I still receive their resources, and this year the strap line for their special Sunday is 'life will never be the same again.'

Clearly considered during the current situation, some questions are offered to help us to reflect on the place in which we find ourselves:

What have you valued about this unusual time?

What have you found particularly challenging about the last few months?

Can you identify anything you would like to see happen in the next few months?

What next small step do you intend taking to set things moving in a positive direction?

This becomes our own personal challenge to become directly involved in mission- either locally or further afield, restrictions permitting of course. As Methodist people we already have numerous possibilities with which to engage-

Methodist Women In Britain (MWIB) aim to connect women with an interest in creative spirituality and a passion for global social justice: stemming from a heritage dating back to 1858 when specific women's work was founded to support training and care for women missionaries.

'All we Can' is an international development and emergency relief organisation, focussing on those in greatest need and an integral part of the Methodist family. The charity helps find solutions to poverty by engaging with local people and organisations in some of the world's poorest communities to end the suffering caused by inequality and injustice.

And, of course, last week marked the annual MHA Sunday: Methodist Homes for the Aged founded in 1943 by a group of Methodists who wanted to improve the quality of life of older people in the time before the creation of the Welfare State. Today their work continues to create opportunities for older people - of all faiths and none - to gain peace, fulfilment and meaning in their lives.

The valuable missional work of each of these charities continues every day of the year, so for those closely involved it becomes a way of life, a habit of Christian living: ordinary work bringing heaven to earth.

Now, through the responses to those questions raised earlier, we're encouraged to see and experience heaven in the ordinary- taking time to value our own experiences and sharing it with those around us.

“So do not be afraid, you are of more value than many sparrows'

(Matthew 10:31)

I wonder whether Jeremiah recognised his value as he concluded his prayer- his appeal, his emotional cry out to God- similar to his petition in chapter 15, but articulated in much stronger terms. We could paraphrase verse 7:

'You've fooled me, Yahweh, I was foolish;

You've taken hold of me and won.

I've become a laugh all the time, everyone makes fun of me.'

At least he's honest about his experience and courageous in bringing it before God. In doing that Jeremiah opens the door to the possibility that his own understanding of the situation may be reframed- re-formed if you like, offered a different perspective- as God continues to mould and shape Jeremiah into the prophet God created him to be.

The mockery and laughter, the personal attacks- even from his closest friends- made Jeremiah want to give up his calling as a prophet, but 'within me there is something like a burning fire' (v9) so he simply could not keep silent when the word of God is there to be spoken.

Jeremiah's perspective on his situation changed, through his prayers, and God's response, realising afresh that God continued to be with him, even when it didn't seem likely, and gaining assurance that God will always protect him.

'Ah, But your Land is Beautiful' is a novel about the reality of apartheid in South Africa by Alan Paton. During the narrative, one of the characters, Mr Nene, asks whether it helps to view the anti-apartheid struggle through a historical perspective.

“When I go up there, which is my intention, the Big Judge will say to me, 'where are your wounds?' and if I say, 'I haven't any,' he will say, 'was there nothing worth fighting for?' I couldn't face that question.”

During the past few weeks, people across the world have been inspired to join forces as protests increased, surrounding the death of George Floyd at the hands of American Police. Global petitions urge action on injustices and inequalities, which have led to a focus on statues in certain cities.

Often these statues commemorate people of significance, leadership, achievement- those once thought to be worthy. Historical perspectives change, society also changes and there is great agitation about a number of memorials at present in this country. Local councils will have to consider carefully whether the value of destroying such statues outweighs the worth of society continuing to be free to confront a difficult past.

It seems to me that the statue in Liberation Square on the island of Jersey should always remain: freeze-framing the basic human elation of freedom from oppression as the islanders began to live once more. Their past has clearly been difficult, the joy expresses hope for their future life together on the island- serving as a measure by which all their experiences since that day should be marked.

'What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light;

and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.'

(Matthew 10:27)

I want to close with some thoughts from Jude Levermore, head of Mission for the Methodist Church in Britain, as we consider church life beyond lockdown. Jude writes of her hopes for how the Church will move forward:

“As we begin to think about ‘going back into our buildings’ I am hopeful that we will take time to consider what we have learned from being out of them. I am hopeful that we will have solidified our understanding that church is not a building- we teach that to our children, but do we hold that in our hearts? ….

I’m praying that ...we will guard against entering another lockdown, that of being so caught up in our buildings that we miss the opportunities to be church without them.

…..I believe the Spirit might be asking us to be brave, to not cling to the old but to be the pilgrim people of the moment. Let’s be a people of vision, let’s not long to get back to normal, let’s see what God might do if we allow ourselves to be led somewhere new.”

Her full article can be found on this link:

https://www.methodist.org.uk/about-us/news/the-methodist-blog/the-spirit-might-be-asking-us-to-be-brave-to-not-cling-to-the-old-but-to-be-the-pilgrim-people-of-the-moment/