WORSHIP AND POWER
I was at a Diocesan meeting for clergy called by Bishop Christopher on Tuesday.
When I arrived I needed to go to the loo. The Diocese has an eco-commitment and many measures are in place to save energy. One is motion sensor operated lights in the toilets. Which means that if you stand still too long the lights go out! Raising your hands brings back the power.
I’ll leave that thought here for a moment and come back to it at the end.
The meeting was for anyone affected by the recent flag movement and “Unite the Kingdom” march in London. I myself was travelling across London around midday and apart from the large number of people there was a distinctly dark atmosphere on the tube with many styles of flag (St George’s and the Union Flag) as well as the odd person in full Crusader outfit. There was no trouble or chanting at that stage but it was indefinably uncomfortable.
The format of the Diocesan meeting was a panel made up of the Bishop of Southwark, the Bishop of Croydon and the Dean of Estates Ministry. Bishop Christopher opened proceedings with an address that outlined some of the concerns about recent events. Then the Dean spoke about the dangers of making assumptions about why people might carry or erect a flag or even march with others. There are genuine concerns , especially among the working class, regarding the political debate and inaction over many years and a sense that “we have not been heard”.
Contributions then came from the floor. They included experiences of the march where both churchyard and vicarage were violated by drunk and aggressive gangs, a non-English (but white European) clergy name graffitied from the sign outside a church, and one black refugee, now ordained who felt real fear facing the current narrative. Others relayed how the current atmosphere was one that resonated with the extremes of far-right activity in the UK in the 1970s or even the 1930s.
Suggested solutions included solidarity between churches, using links to seek support when feeling threatened and using leverage to change the narrative.
For my part I was able to share that we had hosted our Refugee Centre Mission Partner Sunday. That we heard about the reality of life as an asylum seeker – that it is neither luxurious nor an opportunity to “steal jobs” nor “live on benefits” – for neither are available. Instead meagre low quality accommodation, bland meals and insufficient weekly money to buy essentials. And the process both takes a very long time and is completely uncertain because “dispersal” can happen at any time.
I was able to share at the end a little of the contents of a previous blog on this subject. That asylum seekers are only a tiny percentage of immigration, that half as many as come into the country (Immigrants) (the headline figure used by some politicians), leave (emigrants) , meaning that the NET figure is less by some considerable amount. That figure hit a high after the rules changed (2022-3) and has fallen gradually since then. Of asylum seekers , refugees are a specific sub-sector who face harm in their home country if they were to return.
As I shared our context in the meeting , support for the Refugee Centre and an awareness of the public narrative on those in our community, I made one specific point – which is the reason for repeating the facts in the previous paragraph.
People are fed lies within this debate.
One other contributor , the one who was a refugee, now a fearful ordained clergy, named it for what it is – an evil.
Lies are the tactic of the enemy. And the enemy is evil and creates evil.
As the conversation circulated with other testimonies and others offering analysis, we turned to solutions and what can the church do?
And thereby the conversation turned from looking at evil to recognising hope.
My own suggestion was twofold. Firstly, the public narrative is made by those in power. To the room I said “we all have MP’s – let us engage with them and ask for a change”. As we discussed in pairs what had been shared it became clear that different clergy would make different policy prescriptions if that was the tack we took. Instead the answer is simple.
Each of our MP’s need to make sure that whatever else the conversation is based on truth and nuance.
Now here, in Croydon South, we are in a unique position because our elected representative also happens to be the Shadow Home Secretary with shadow responsibility for immigration policy.
The other thing I said was “we should pray”.
And that takes me back to the start of this piece.
Raising your hands brings back the power.
It is in worship – in Spirit and truth – that we can have hope in the transformational response of God to our powerful prayers of intercession. As hope filled the room on Tuesday so we are called to be agents of hope – even to the hopeless. While we can write letters or seek access to speak to those in power – we can also powerfully pray for transformation. This requires both faith and perseverance. The Church has a unique position to use leverage and petition to those with earthly power but also we have direct access to the creator of all things who has the victory over the defeated enemy of the world. The father of lies.
Pray for truth and against the works of him who would cause division.
Raise your arms and bring power!
Amen and amen.
Doug
If you would like to chat or pray about anything covered here please contact me:
Vicar@christchurchpurley.org.uk
WEAK FLESH, WILLING SPIRIT