Day Twenty Five of Being Closed - Love is all you need.

So here we are in the middle of this very strange Easter. The pandemic still has a firm hold on the whole world. Life in lockdown is like being part of a different world, a new world. We long for the old world order. We wonder if life will ever be the same?

Along with businesses, whole industries and institutions our churches are closed all across the world. Even asking people to gather in one place at a safe distance to sing an Easter hymn is out of the question. This weekend feels like such an important moment in this crisis. If we manage to turn the corner now then we may get through the worst of it soon.

So how will we look back on this time? What will we tell our children of how we responded?

On the whole the nation has seemed to respond well under the barrage of news reporting that convinces us that we must not put others at risk by leaving home. There are now signs of hope that the graphs are trending in the right direction. The Prime Minister is out of intensive care. The weather is still brilliantly sunny. The increased sense of community is still holding firm.

At an individual level it's interesting to recognise how this is affecting us as people. It's tiring in a way that you don't expect. This seems to me because of the sense of threat that you feel to be constantly under. When outside you have to watch each person coming towards you to make sure they are keeping their distance. If you touch anything when you are out you wonder if it might possibly have the virus on its surface. Arriving home there's the need to wash hands immediately.  Lots of people have reported more vivid dreams as if our brains are struggling to process what's going on. Waking up is hard to do after disturbed nights.

As a church leader I have found these last weeks completely exhausting. In this role there is always more that we can do. There are so many more people to call or contact than you will ever have time to reach. Each day is made up of decisions about how to your spend time. It seems that we have to make it all up as we go. There is no precise pattern or model to follow to navigate through this particular storm. We have done our best and there has been lots of encouraging feedback. There have been mistakes and moments of deep spiritual connection. In the end we seek to follow the three commands that Jesus gave us. To love God, love one another and love those around us. If we manage to do this, to be people of love, in this strange and difficult time then we may well be able to look back with pride.