Understanding the times and knowing what to do

We live in bewildering times. Two years of a global pandemic, talk of war in Ukraine, a growing awareness of the climate emergency, rising fuel prices and a crisis of confidence in our elected officials are just some of the issues filling the news cycle on a daily basis. I’m not sure how you go about dealing with it all. For me I have been learning to focus on the things that I can control rather than the things that I can’t, and trying to heed Jesus advice not to worry about tomorrow but to live in the moment and focus my attentions on today (Matthew 6:34).

However, every now and again it is important for us to lift up our heads and to consider the bigger picture. To think about what is happening in the world and how we should respond. To be like the men of Issachar who:

‘understood the times and knew what Israel should do‘ (1 Chronicles‬ ‭12:32)

To that end Heather Pocock recently preached a message which she described as the 50,000 foot view of the cultural moment we live in. It is an eye opening analysis of how every 500 years there has been a major shift in the church, and how some of the things we are experiencing today parallel the circumstance which brought about the reformation of the church 500 years ago. I want to encourage all of us to listen to Heather’s message, even if you have heard it before. I would love to hear your reflections. What resonated with you? What was new for you? What did you disagree with? How do you think we could begin to respond, as individuals and as a community?

You can watch the message here and find a text version here.

Simon