That week I've been dreading has arrived - it's Brexit week - and unless there is some kind of miracle we're going to be tearing ourselves from the EU on Friday. I've described our exit a bit like that TK Maxx label you try to remove so you can give the item to someone without them knowing how much you spent, but however hard you try, all you leave is the price.
We don't know what the price to our country will be on leaving the EU. We don't know how much it's going to hurt. We don't know what benefits it might have (although forgive me for being blinded to that completely in my mourning for what is happening this week). We don't know who it is going to affect the most.
But we do have some ideas.
Anything with a cost takes money out of places where that money would bring benefit - and whilst we await the money promised on the side of the bus, it's important we don't lose sight of the fact that the money that is spent on Brexit will affect those already affected by cuts far much more than those who are doing alright already - it was in the government's own documents.
I have never hidden the fact that I feel great sorrow at us leaving and I am not convinced it has ever been a good idea, however I do know it is inevitable, and there are a lot of people in this country of ours who think it is a good idea despite the effects it will inevitably have - very much on those communities who voted for leaving as a way out of the difficulties they currently find themselves in. This action leaves a path of uncertainty in its way, stirs up anxiety and uncertainty and a sense of loss. In our actions as a result of what happens we can go someway to working with ourselves and others in that, but like with anything that causes pain and change, the effects are not going to simply go away.
And we must pray. The Joint Public Issues Team have brought out a statement from church leaders this week in the light of the events as they pan out in our exit from the EU - you can read that here and my prayers in church yesterday were based loosely on what was said there.
A Prayer for Brexit Week
Father God we come to you in prayer to lift to you the things that are in our hearts. We live in a world where there is conflict, where there is pain, where there is sickness and where there are divisions - and right now while we see the promises of spring, of new beginnings, beginning to show their promise from beneath the earth - as we see the hope of the snowdrop that surprises us on our paths, we yearn for a better day.
In this week where we begin to break our EU bond completely we pray for our country.
We pray for those who have not much and for whom the effects of Brexit will probably mean they have even less. We pray you will provide, that you will lift up those who are poor and marginalised and put their needs at the forefront and centre of our Government's minds.
We pray for those who are worried about their place in this country as a result of Brexit. We pray that they might feel like they belong, that you would mean any divisions amongst us and that you would calm the anger of those individuals that feel let down - that they will find peace. Help us to be builders of bridges and not walls. Stir up in us a spirit of welcome. Keep our relationships strong and grow new bonds between us.
We pray that as the divisions in this country are seen so acutely this week that we might move towards having a sense of common purpose, despite the divides. Help us to act with kindness, humility and respect towards those with whom we disagree. Be with our leaders as they carve out a path for us.
Heal our country Lord. Heal our world - and may the things that we yearn for be things of you. Show us the role we have to play in all this.
May your Kingdom come.
May your Kingdom come.
*image by Peter Linforth from Pixabay
Yesterday was a strange day. It started with the proroguing of parliament being ruled as unlawful (which brought joy in the midst of the morning), I saw a double rainbow just (as always) at about the right moment, I had a couple of conversations I wasn't expecting and caused me to turn to my brilliant network of trustworthy ones for advice and wisdom and then impeachment proceedings were being explored to begin against Trump just before I headed to bed.
Some days are like that. But also no days are like that. We cannot underestimate the impact of what is going on in politics at the moment in the UK and the rest of the world on what is going to happen in the future. Where we don't think things can get more complicated, more complicated things happen.
It all seems so big - so uncontrollable, that it affects our very being. How do we live in a world that is full of uncertainty? How do we make plans when we don't know what is going to happen tomorrow, never mind next year?
We react in different ways - some of us bed in - take control of the things we can control - we make sure our own affairs are in order, take possession of the things that we perceive to matter most and become protective over our own life and space. 'Me first' becomes the mantra, and that affects our relationships with others. In some ways this is a reflection on the causes of the current political climate in the first place - making things better for me means shutting out anything that makes me feel uncomfortable.
Some of us try to understand - we read - we try to problem solve - we tie ourselves in knots - we protest - we celebrate - we express our frustrations - we begin and join in social media conversations that are like carving through layers of hard rock with a blunt knife and fork. We find ourselves exhausted with the thinking we're doing and we lie down for while, waiting to get up again and find the way ahead.
Neither of these ways of dealing with stuff completely satisfy.
Bedding in doesn't mean that the problems go away. Bedding in doesn't help our relationships with others and makes us a little bit too insular. Although it might be comfortable, there is something about what is going on that niggles in our ear however much we try and shut it out.
Trying to understand doesn't mean we'll ever arrive at understanding and leads to frustration as we discover more complications in the things that seemed simple. Trying to understand doesn't necessarily lead to solutions, and where we are able to make sense of what is going on, the niggle in our ear is that we're too far gone to get to somewhere better and the way out will be impossible to find.
I've tried both. I've tried hiding from the news and I've tried staying up until 2am watching parliament debate (when it's been allowed to) so I can make sense of it all - but then I get frustrated and want to run and hide again..... we need to keep trying to understand, but we need to take care of ourselves, and so there are times for both - both searching and hiding, and in the search for the balance we'll find moments of peace.
After the referendum I reflected on my disappointment with the result, and I asked the question 'how do I sing the Lord's song in a strange land?' - a question the Israelites asked when they were in exile in Babylon. I didn't know how but I knew I would not stop singing.
And I haven't. I'm not going to a choir at the moment because the challenge of moving 252 miles has made finding a choir not the priority it should be, and although I know it would help me deal with all this, I don't feel ready to go there. However, even without those who stand singing with me, my singing has not stopped.
Because, even in places of despair, there is always hope. Even in the deepest and darkest of places, the light gets in through the cracks. Because when we hear stories of hope - stories of justice being done - stories of love shared abundantly - stories of lives changed - we know that there is a way through, a way that is better beyond where we are now.
And that is the Lord's song - helping us to know that however bad things get there is always hope. And while it may seems like pie in the sky sometimes and it might sometimes seem like I'm grasping and not catching - I know this hope that I have to be true - and that's what those rainbows, just at the right time, remind me.
So in these strange days where tomorrow is a mystery and things are just a little bit confusing, hold on to that hope - look for the light, the love, the peace, the justice, the signs of promise, BE that light, that love, that peace - bring justice and depend on God's promises and that - that is what will get us through.
"But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbour, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don't take yourself too seriously - take God seriously" - Micah 6:8 (The Message)
One of the joys(!) of waking up to Radio 4 in the morning is that I get to hear the news and I get to hear the Today programme try and unpick the news. This morning I woke up knowing what I would wake up to, and in an unusual turn of events I woke up when my alarm actually went off to the Today programme presenters asking again and again the big question that is on all of our lips:
'What Next?'
There have been timelines and flow charts and predictions and ideas. There have been opinions and dreams and wishlists and hopes. No deal, this deal, refined deal, people's vote, vote of no confidence, second referendum, general election, anarchy?
Nobody really knows right now - we're living in the moment - as we look ahead many of us don't see much at all.... and we hope that somewhere there is a plan. What will be, will be.
What do we do with all this? What do we do with all this uncertainty? How do we keep on keeping on?
We can choose to be very vocal about how we feel - like the gathering outside of parliament with its loud bells and whistles from both sides of the debate who rose in number yesterday and will rise in number today I'm sure as the momentum towards the no confidence vote tonight continues. It's OK to be vocal - it's good to be vocal - it's good to be passionate about how we feel. Protest is a legitimate release of emotion and anger and depth of feeling. We wonder what difference it will make.... but it matters because our voices matter. I will continue to sing songs of protest.....
But we've seen recently and over the course of history that protest can turn bad.... so we must think before we speak, we must be gracious with one another and listen to one another. We must be gentle with one another, as, even though undoubtedly, our voices matter, the way we treat and respect others matters too. Be nice in your protest.
We can choose to hide our head in the sand. We can decide that nothing we do can make any difference. We put our fingers in our ears as we sing a loud song, laying down to the inevitable because it's going to happen anyway....
Now that's an easy, and in many ways legitimate reaction - 'keep calm and carry on'. It is not going to affect us much anyway..... we'll keep doing what we've always been doing and hope we can go on holiday to anywhere we want.
However, there are many people that can't do this because what happens with Brexit affects their very well-being. While well off politicians advocate for the uncertainty of a no-deal that won't affect them and their life styles that much, there are ordinary people who are already feeling the effects of the changes that are coming and will feel them much more deeply in the coming months.
So I don't believe doing nothing is ever the answer... while we are not all loud protesters who express their feelings through marches and speeches and blogs and articles, we all have a responsibility to understand the bigger picture as the government makes some of the biggest decisions that our government has made in a long time.
We have a responsibility to look beyond the headlines of political infighting to the deeper issues beyond. Yesterday as you avoided the news because you were sick of Brexit you may have missed that there were some benefit rules changes were sneaked through on Monday night that will affect pensioners - particularly those who are at the lower income end are coming into force on the 15th May (read it here). How can we help those who are being left in poverty because there is not the money to ensure that they can live with enough for food, heating and rent? Perhaps our active response to the chaos in our country is to help those who are being left behind - whether it's those with little who are going to end up with less, whether it's those who had nothing already who are going to find themselves with less than nothing as their support is taken away, whether its those who have nowhere to go and nobody looking out for them..... as we walk into uncertainty, it is those who will suffer.
We have a responsibility to be people of bridges not walls, who build relationships across divides; across cultural and social and political divides. Imagine if the government had worked in a cross party way on the Brexit negotiations instead of snapping at one another all the time? We might have come to a different outcome.... it would have been hard work with all the personalities involved.... but imagine if....?
We need to model this alternative way of being in our own relationships - how can we re-build our broken bridges? How can we sit alongside an ardent no-deal brexiteer as an ardent snowflake remainer and listen with compassion and understanding? How can we sit down with that family member who just messes up everything for us all the time and build a relationship? How can we love unconditionally and despite....... How can we be more like Jesus?
We need to care for those who who are seen as 'the other' in our communities - who are, in many cases, worried about their own future and safety. The whole Brexit rhetoric has given rise to racism and intolerance and hostility.... how can we actively seek to make this country a safe place for all? To be out of Europe does not mean forming a toxic nationalistic identity without compassion and love for those who are different to us... how can we challenge those who want to create that?.... How can we be more like Jesus?
What Next?
To be honest, I really have no idea about the big Brexit picture, I have some ideas about what I think is right.... and I'm hoping that something good will come out of this.... but I'll be watching, in moderation as it can become overwhelming... and I'll be thinking about how I act as a consequence....
While the majority of us do not have a voice that is in the right places to make a massive difference to the Brexit negotiations.... our voices.... and ultimately... our actions.... they matter. What Next? Look beyond the headlines and care for those who don't make the headlines. Look beyond the headlines and look for those who are being left behind.... and be people, amongst all of this, of love, of justice and of mercy. Be more like Jesus.
And hold on. It's going to be a rocky ride.
"And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" - Micah 6:8
There is no doubt that our government, and therefore, our nation, is going through a time of turbulence, a time of chaos, a time of uncertainty, a time of anxiety.... a time of wilderness....
Today it has blown up big time as we heard announced this morning that the Prime Minister's leadership has been challenged by a call to a vote of no confidence.
Whichever side we sit on in the Brexit debate, whether we think we should go back to a People's Vote or go through with no deal, whether we are hoping for any deal or whether we just hope the whole thing would go away.... we all are affected by this. The amount of money and time that has been spent on Brexit, it has taken resources away from those services we desperately need like the NHS and schools and social services and police and fire services and all of those things that help us work well as a country - all those things we are proud of.... it has taken the focus away from those who are already at the bottom and are struggling to find a way forward.... The news is depressing, repetitive and concerning....
Yet as we sit in the second week of advent we are reminded of a voice.... a voice that cries out in the wilderness.... a voice that cries from the physical wilderness into the wilderness of the Roman world..... into the wilderness of the Brexit chaos...
"Prepare a way...."
As we deal with the uncertainty around the future, our non-functioning government and our concerns for this country, advent calls us to pause and listen.... if parliament would only pause and listen - to the people, to wisdom, to the bigger picture, then the way forward might just become clear....
Get off the rollercoaster
Stop
Listen....
"Prepare a way..."
John the Baptist spoke the words 'prepare a way' quoting from the prophet Isaiah to people who were certain of what they wanted and how it was going to happen and would have happily fixed things themselves (but knew they couldn't).... he promised hope of a future that would take them beyond their wilderness...
As we sit in the chaos in the middle of advent, then a reminder of the hope that Christ brings to this broken world is needed more than ever....
"Prepare a way...."
As we sit and wait, we pray.
God who makes all things new, we pray for our nation.
We pray for wisdom for our Government.
We pray that our Government would stop, listen, and work together to find the way forward.
We pray that it will quickly become clear.
We pray for those who are suffering most because of the uncertainty of the future
- for those who have seen the little they have being taken away
- for those who are stuck behind walls of paperwork and hostility as they seek to make a home
- for those who are struck by such deep anxiety because of the uncertainty that they don't know how to live.
Lord have mercy. Help us to be people of love and peace and mercy and justice as we walk the way of Christ, who humbled himself as a servant, not lording it over others, but seeking their welfare and bringing them abundant life in Him.
Help us to find the way in the wilderness
Amen
And slowly it builds
Brick by brick
That wall we all rejected
And the rhetoric filters through
The drive by threat
They're taking our jobs, our houses
Go home, you're not welcome here
Standing back we listen
We shake our fist
And we go on as it all dies down
And the rhetoric filters through
The chaos of the camps
They threaten our drivers, it's not safe
Go back, you're not welcome here
Standing back we watch
We send our cast offs
And go by as they're all moved on
And the rhetoric filters through
Bring back our control
Close the doors, put the biggest bolts on.
The door is closed, you're not welcome here
Standing back we hear
As experts cry out
And we go on as it all rolls on
And the rhetoric filters through
Our exit door is open
Now go - the entrance door is tight shut
Even you are not welcome any more
Standing back we hear cries
As blame is dished out
And those we live beside leave in fear
And slowly it builds
Brick by Brick
That wall we rejected - it's here
As we look out from the UK, we so often see what we hear is proposed to happen across the Atlantic and we despair and shout out and say that 'it wouldn't happen here'. However, as we have seen this week as voices rise up over the injustice over the Windrush deportation crisis we've got to test our own motives, test our own hearts.... and choose to stand up and stop these growing barriers before they become seemingly impenetrable and our society has lost his ability to welcome at all. This article from the Baptist Times talks about why we should be angry over the Windrush Crisis and what to do about it.
The prophet Amos says these words from God to the people of Israel, challenging their focus:
"I hate, I despise your religious festivals; and your assemblies are a stench to me..... Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. BUT let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream" Amos 5:21, 23-24
Stand up for justice. Stand up because God....
