Each Wednesday afternoon at Christ Church, we have Warm Welcome, joining with churches across the country to welcome people to a safe space who may not otherwise make it to church.
In our case, this involves table tennis, pool, tea, coffee and a meal high on calories and low on nutrition. One of our regulars who is currently homeless has a cup of tea and takes his place at the piano where he sits and plays jazz piano, tears often streaming down his cheeks.
Last month we added a ‘circle time’ where everyone shares something that has happened in the last week, along with a small act of worship: listening to a worship song, a passage, and a simple response like lighting a candle.
The challenges in the inner-city and outer estates are well-known: poverty, isolation, and poor mental health are all common. However, accompanying that is often a sense of gratitude for what I take for granted.
Listening to people wonder at the sense of peace from sitting in church, seeing people’s pride at reading a Bible passage: these are challenges to us all.
In this election, with all the discussion about manifestos, it’s made me wonder what Jesus would have chosen as his manifesto commitments?
Perhaps the statement early in his ministry in Luke 4:18-21 about his purpose, or Matthew 5:1-12 as he describes who is to be ‘blessed’. I’ve settled for Matthew 11:28: ‘Come all you who are weary, and I will give you rest.’
Increasingly in a weary world, I suspect that it is this verse that would resonate with the electorate. I am aware that the lens I look through is different to what people in other contexts see. However, I think in Jesus’ genius for capturing people’s hearts and minds, his call to rest would speak to people from all walks of life. This is good news indeed.