Signs of Hope

If you pass Halton Trinity Methodist Church up in the village above Shopping City you might have noticed the poster in the noticeboard. It was placed there before the Lockdown and the NHS rainbow in the window thing that folk have been doing to support the NHS. It was probably done whilst we were experiencing the relentless amount of rain over the earlier months of the year (remember them? Just about forgotten now, unless your house was flooded out).

It just seems to be a very appropriate message for our times.

The story of the rainbow is perhapps the most famous story from the Bible about Noah and his Ark with all the animals saved from the great flood. This basic story of a great flood has found its way into many different beliefs and religions and many discard it as a myth. However a myth can contain truths that can be a source of encouragment, in this case its a story that says storms do pass and life, maybe very different, continues. In our current situation with the Covid 19 restrictions of social distancing, when the storm ends is not exactly clear but already there are signs that some form of normal life is being re-establieshed. Certainly the pressure of economics is a strong driving force to re-establish a normaility to the high streets and the shopping malls across the world - people's livelihoods depend on it and we already know that some shops that have closed during the lockdown are unlikely to ever open their doors again. But that is the nature of the retail industry; some stores close and others open, new opportunities present themselves. The same is true of many other industries with some big names announcing job losses. 

However, in the midst of this storm we are seeing some very hopeful signs of life with a growth in a sense of social responsibility, certainly more evident and encouraged. The natural world seems to have taklen a breather as polution levels drop. The change in working practice could result in more people working from home at least some of the time - reducing the number of commuters, reducing travel costs and pressure on the roads and polution.

Whatever the changes and the transitions that we pass through in this evolving situation, the creator of all is with us. 

That can sound a bit glib and just another sound bite, but for those that know the peace of God in the midst of their suffering, even to the point of death, this is no false promise but the tangible reality of God's love holding them.

This is a peace unlike anything else and has to be experienced to understand it and even then its is otherworldly. 

All over the world Churches are praying for the world. Christians in Runcorn are praying for you.

Peace be with you.