From the President

I’m tired, taxed, and I’ve been this way for a while. What is going on? Maybe it’s just 2020!

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since we blithely attended church, in which time more than two million people have died with or of Covid and 100 million infected. What a challenge it presents us, with our mission of sharing the good news.

Are we in danger of becoming merely consumers of Skype, Facetime and Zoom, worshipping in our comfortable lounge rooms rather than actively as the “hands” and “feet” of Jesus, meeting the pressing needs of people?

That’s a question we need to ask ourselves, living safely away from the terrible realities of countries lacking the medical technology and financial strength to survive.

Yes, we absolutely do live in the Lucky Country. And because of that, I remind you of the biblical injunction, that, “If God has been generous with you, He will expect you to serve Him well. But if He has been more than generous, He will expect you to serve Him even better!” (Luke 12:48, CEV).

So what, then, can you and I do better?

Well, we could donate more, as it would be hugely beneficial to those charitable organizations caring for the needs of people. For example, the Salvation Army in Australia lost more than $50m of income last year when their annual appeal was cancelled, and donations evaporated. In fact, all not-for-profit organizations

have missed our hands and feet. Says N.T. Wright in his book God and the Pandemic, “Scripture calls us to grieve with God’s Spirit and get to work serving others” in the midst of this pandemic. That is what Christians have always done and the church has always grown because of it. Hospitals are the result of Christians putting together processes to help the poor and unfortunates that no one wanted to care for in historical pandemics.”

Have we lived with such comfort and security that we’ve forgotten how to deal with suffering and crises? Can our current reality wake us, reminding us that we are to serve regardless of circumstance or consequence? Will it remind us that darkness, suffering and crisis surround us, and that because the kingdom of darkness has put blinders on our eyes, perhaps we’ve lost sight of the point of the Christian life? We’ve thought this crisis was about our security and comfort. But Jesus said that He had neither house nor bed in which to lay His head.

The real test of our faith and commitment will come when restrictions are lessened: Will we come back to the new reality with a new vision for what our church and we as Jesus’ disciples need do for the world? Or will we continue in what we’ve become accustomed to, being quite comfortable?

Remember this promise, that, “[Y]ou will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses! (Acts 1:8). The challenge is, what are we going to be?

Terry Johnson