“God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging" (Psalm 46:1-3, NIV)
I suspect you will have seen that news that England will be entering a 'lockdown' period, starting on Thursday this week. We are moving back to a position where we should be staying in our homes as much as we possibly can. This is planned to last until the beginning of December, and the hope appears to be that we can enjoy some relaxing of the restrictions for Christmas.
I have only seen the outline of the new regulations, and I have not had any instructions from the Bishop of St Albans. However, it would appear that all churches will be, once again, closed (with very few exceptions) from Thursday 5th November, including for public worship. I will continue to livestream from St Andrews, for as long as I am able. Please do continue to join the livestream or listen to the audio recordings.
The next few weeks will be times of uncertainty and nervousness. For some, this will be an anxious time, as they face increased isolation from friends and family. At the start of the last lockdown, I put everyone who wanted to into a small contact group. As restrictions have eased, I suspect these have not been required as much, do please use them again.
We can also rely on our God, the one who makes mountains, forms valleys, and put the sea into its place. The one who sent his son, Jesus Christ, to die, so that we might live. If our confidence is in him, if we are able turn to him as our help, then we need not fear anything that is happening around us.
As ever, if you do have any questions or suggestions, do please be in touch with me directly (chris@norcuff.com, 07446 516945).