GOD’S TIMING
As we approach the beginning of the 3rd month of lockdown, I find myself reflecting 
upon Noah’s experiences of the ark in Genesis 8. For somewhere around a year he and his passengers experienced all of the tribulations and challenges of being cooped up together and needing to keep their eyes on God’s plan for their liberation and restoration when the waters of death subsided. There must have been times when they wondered about God’s time in relation to their experience of time passing when their situation continued for so long.
When I used to ponder what life on the ark might have been like, my initial thoughts were about sounds, smells and being cooped up. In the light of lockdown, however, I am finding myself wondering what their reflections were during that time? On one level, God could have served his expressed purpose in enabling a flash flood to take place then subside. There seems to me to be something important about the length of time that they inhabited that ark.
On the Parish Weekend we reflected upon the journey of Brendan in his coracle. The fearless man set sail in this tiny craft alone knowing not where God would be leading him but being prepared to trust that, wherever it was, it would be God’s will and purpose that took him here. The coracle may be a helpful image for some of us – perhaps resembling our homes, as we are asked to take refuge there from Covid 19. The seas around us are like the uncertainties of life; the big questions for all of us about what the future holds, but also about our own welfare, in terms of physical and mental health, as well as job security, etc.
I don’t know about you, but, in the times that I have been in a small boat and needed to shift places to take my turn to row, I find the rocking of the boat quite frightening. Brendan, in his tiny coracle, would have had a small sail and the wind would have guided his path. He just had to remain there – calm and confident that his little vessel was cradled by God, who would keep him safe and provide for him.
If he had fought against the waves (whatever they represented) or tried to navigate his own route, he may have lost sight of God and the boat would have rocked and he could have even ended up drowning in the waves.
A couple of weeks ago I preached about how, in times of trial in life, we learn a new way of being – a way of sitting in the middle ground where both fear, concern and perfect love co-exist. I suspect that this is what was happening for Noah and his family as they waited….and waited….and waited for this time of trial to pass. They would have looked back with longing at life as they knew it, They would have been immersed in the trials of life in the here and now. They would have speculated as to when all of this would change and what would life be like once it did. Undergirding all of this would have been the knowledge that, like Brendan, they were held safe in the tebah (cradle) of God. Living at such a time as that called them to live lives of deep faith, surrendering to the peace of knowing that they were held by Him who created them.
What are you imagining will be the first thing that you will do once you know that your personal coracle has come to shore at the end of lockdown and it is safe to go further afield?
For Noah and his family, we are told that the face of the earth had been wiped clean. They and their menagerie were it now. There were no long lost relatives and friends to fling their arms around in joy. What did Noah do first as he left the ark?
As soon as Noah left the ark, he built an altar and offered sacrifices to God. Faith had been what held him through that incredible time. He was now expressing through the traditions of his religion (the only way he knew how) his recognition of God’s hand in that journey. The timing and extent of Noah’s ordeal are never mentioned in the passage as issues that troubled him. When it was over, the primary yearning of Noah’s heart was to acknowledge God’s worthiness to be worshiped. He was humbled as he left the doors of the ark and gazed at God’s new earth and was thankful to be involved in this display of God’s compassion and power. He also knew that he still needed God in this new earth that he now inhabited to guide him in the years to come.
One of our primary callings as Christians is to accept the wisdom and timing of God – yet it is so easy to feel that there is no end in sight. During times of challenge, the limits of our own wisdom and the weakness of our flesh prevent us from resting in God and allowing him to carry us through the seas of life.
The story of Noah teaches us some important lessons in these uncertain times. God always uses what takes place for his glory to be revealed. Just because many days, weeks or months pass, there is no reason to assume that this is not still the case.
How do we strengthen our faith in God during times of trial?
During lockdown, everything that was part of our lives and routines has been either stripped away or altered. The ways of expressing faith and religion have been stripped away by church buildings being closed. In the past, having been linked to a particular place to worship, we now find ourselves needing to discover new ways (for the foreseeable future) to express our praise of God, within our little coracle, with whoever may, or may not, share that coracle and our faith, with us.
During the last few weeks we have collaborated wonderfully as a Benefice. I have greatly appreciated the support and encouragement of you all as we put together community support networks, encouraged each other with phone calls, letters and emails and peoples’ graciousness as I embraced learning new technology and software to enable online worship and continued to hone what we are offering as well as get involved.
For those on the Internet, we have been gathering to worship together in a live service on Zoom at 10.00am each Sunday. As we gather to worship on a Sunday morning, and see people pop up in their little windows on the screen, it evokes a children’s book image of the ark with people arriving in ones and twos (but I won’t labour that analogy too much!)
On Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10.00am to 11.00am, we have John and Hilda’s Chatroom on Zoom where visitors can grab a coffee and catch up with others face to face. Links to our Zoom events can be found on both church websites.
For those who do not have internet access but have a smart television, they will be able to access YouTube – a website where videos can be watched. To include a wider number of people in worship, I have opened a YouTube Channel where recordings of services, alternating between St Hilda’s and St John’s churches, will be aired. You will need to search for St John’s, Warley & St Hilda, Halifax. I will put a welcome video up there this week, so that you can find us. We plan to launch weekly worship there, that will load up on the website at 11am each Sunday, starting on Pentecost Sunday (31st May 2020).
I can also really recommend a Church of England helpline called Daily Hope. This is aimed at those who do not have access to the internet and all the online resources – but, of course, is open to all. Using a freephone number (0800 8048044), it offers a hymn, reading and prayer. It lasts about 20 minutes and is very high quality with the material changing each day. I have found it to be a blessing, personally.
Pastoral care is still very much to the fore during lockdown. If you need help with practical things or would be blessed by a regular phone call to have contact with the outer world, we have several volunteers who would be happy to connect with you. Likewise, I have been phoning a few people in the Benefice each day to catch up with them pastorally. With the numbers involved, that means a call approximately once a month. If you haven’t received a call from me it is because I don’t have your number. If you would like me to keep in touch this way, my number is 01422 363623. Remember, I am still here for you all, and if you need a chat in between my calls to you, please call me! If I can’t answer at that moment, I will get back to you.
As I conclude this message, the key to confidence during our trials is trust in God’s promises as we fortify ourselves with the many wonderful examples of God’s merciful acts that we find in the Bible and throughout history. We must remember that God’s timing is not subject to our perceptions. We will have no peace dwelling on the question of “how long?” Our peace will come from our conviction that all our hours, days, years, and circumstances are held with tenderness and love in the hands of our heavenly Father for whom a thousand years is as a day.
Caroline
St Hilda's Church, Halifax 