One of the members of our sister congregation at Kennington wrote the following poem during lockdown:
We want to come to worship in the old, familiar places
Singing old, familiar hymns, seeing our friends’ familiar faces.
To share again communion, sharing wine and sharing bread.
And we want to pray together, and to hear the scriptures read
We miss communal singing, one church all sharing praise –
Though churches all are different, worshipping in different ways.
As worship draws us close to God, so worship should never cease
With guitar and drums, or organ, or in silence – perfect peace.
Some take comfort in traditions, like having church bells rung
Or sitting in their favourite pew, and hearing anthems sung.
Listening to the preachers as they expound upon the text:
There is a certain comfort in knowing what comes next.
But in this world of constant change, God’s challenging us all
Not to dwell upon “what used to be” but to look outside the wall.
For we are called to care for others, to see the hungry fed
To love the lonely, and the poor – to go where we are led.
We are also called to keep alive the faith in Christ alone
With the Spirit and in God, who rolled away the stone
To set us free from fear and guilt, now free to show His love
For God is here, in you and me, not just in heaven above.
God means us to be together, drawing strength from those we know
The saints unite in heaven, just as we should do here below.
We need to be together, so we can share what God has done
Giving glory where it’s due – to God’s eternal Son.