INTO THE DEEP

In 2021, an enormous iceberg broke off from the western side of Antarctica's Ronne Ice Shelf into the Weddell Sea. This iceberg is nearly four times the size of New York City and it’s shaped like a giant ironing board. It’s named A-76 and it’s the biggest iceberg on earth. And of course, most of A-76 is hidden under the water.

As we continue to move through COVID-19 and the peak and the aftermath of Omicron, the image of the iceberg has something to say about the pandemic. The diverse conversations and the variety of actions we are seeing across New Zealand are only the tip of the iceberg. Hidden under the water of everyday life, lies something much bigger—our feelings and our values and our perceptions about life.

INTO THE

Hard times often bring our beliefs and the things that are important to us to the surface. They expose weak spots and difficulties as well. COVID has done this for Christians as we relate to God and live out our faith. The pressure of the ongoing pandemic and the unrest evident across our nation has demanded immediate change in many aspects of church life, including our friendships and our participation in worship. From DEEP requirements that change the way we can meet as church to decisions around health that have wider implications, the usual patterns of Christian faith here in New Zealand have been deeply dislocated in HILARY HAGUE | SUNZ National Director the past two years.

The question with A-76 is what will happen next. An iceberg that had broken off from the Antarctic Peninsula in 2017 raised alarm in November when it appeared to be on a collision course with the British island territory of South Georgia. That iceberg, A-68a, ended up grounding off the island’s coast. If A-76 hits a similar current, it could reach the Antarctic Peninsula within months and could interfere with shipping lanes there. As A-76 makes its journey, climatologists will be watching closely—even if most of the rest of us aren’t.

It’s risky to weigh in to discussions around what will happen to church life while we are still in the middle of the pandemic. It’s far too early to evaluate how we are going or to predict with any clarity what the future holds.

It’s risky, but it’s still important to do it. It’s important because the church is important and the decisions we make now will shape our future and the future of our families and children and young people. And it’s important because both faith and hope are crucial elements of resilience. The Salvation Army in their State of the Nation 2022 report say, ‘Increasing mental health pressures on young people are indicated by a rise in the proportion reporting moderate to high levels of mental distress.’1 Faith and hope are needed at this time when we are seeing people increasingly disconnected from the church community. This is particularly evident amongst our children and young people.

As we read our Bibles, we see that the church takes place within the midst of God’s people. It is the family of God—the bride of Christ and the expression of Jesus here on earth. These are beautiful images, and they bring questions for us as we ask what it looks like to live within these descriptions.

1 Salvation Army Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit (2022), State of the Nation 2022. https://www. salvationarmy.org.nz/research-policy/social-policyparliamentary-unit/state-nation-2022/children-and-youth

It brings questions that we need to find immediate answers to as we live right now in a hybrid time of isolation and vaccine mandates.

What are the important qualities of being church that we must hold onto?

What issues do we need to address?

How can we hold these qualities and ‘be church’ right now in ways that are effective for all in these times?

It brings questions we need to pray and think about carefully as we move into the future.

What societal and ecclesiastical changes is this pandemic bringing that will probably be permanent?

How will we express the heart of God’s call to us as we worship together and witness to our communities in changed circumstances?

What is the best practical shape for church as we move forward?

These are not surface questions about place or programmes. They are more than decisions about digital versus face-to-face meetings and large or small gatherings. They are deep questions about identity and attitudes and ways of being. They are questions that God’s people have grappled with ever since Bible times. They are our questions for our time. Let’s approach them with humility and wisdom. And most of all, let’s answer them with a heart attuned to what God is saying to us and with the courage to change where we need to.