Experience is a strange teacher. It gives us the examination first and then follows up with lesson. We all know what it is to be refined by experience. As we live, we learn and God further and more fully shapes us into the people he wants us to be. The same is true for the church in every generation and for individual congregations as they journey together as local families of God’s people.
In 1 Peter 1:3-7 we read these words:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Looking back: The journey so far
As we gradually see lockdown loosen and take our first steps into a very strange new church year, our experience of the coronavirus pandemic and crisis is beginning to move into a new phase. Rather than being catapulted into something unknown, or having to navigate a strange new day to day existence, it feels like we are now edging out of a time of suffering, grief and trial (v6) into what so many people have called a ‘new normal’.
Throughout these past months faith in Jesus has sustained us. Our living hope in him (v3), the reminder of a virus proof eternal inheritance kept for us in heaven (v4) and the experience of God’s shielding power (v5) have been sources of renewed faith and rejoicing (v6) in both our individual and congregational lives.
Looking forward: What are we learning?
As we come out the other end, if we are to learn the lessons God wants to teach us through our experience of the events of 2020, we will do well to see it as a time of his refining. Can we better see the ‘proven genuineness of our faith’ (v7) as a result of all we have been through? Does its golden worth better glisten in our eyes (v7)? What dross of our careless living has ‘perished’ (v7) in the fire?
It will be such a wasted moment if we just revert back to ‘normal’ and fail to be renewed in our lives as disciples and churches. Rather our lives need to be refined by the experience – redefined more in the image of Jesus Christ, so that they ‘may result in praise, glory and honour when he is revealed’ (v7).
Moving on in our denominational conversation
Since the beginning of lockdown in mid-March, the These Three Remain initiative, carried on the PCI website and social media, has helped the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, its congregations, leaders and members to navigate the period of the pandemic and lockdown with faith, hope and love.
From mid-September These Three Remain will transition to a new digital programme for supporting and developing congregational life and witness called Refined. This will move our denominational conversation on from what was needed to initially respond to all that has happened, to seeking God’s leading and guiding for this next season of church life together.
Digitally gathered
The Refined programme will be housed on the landing page of the PCI website in the space presently occupied by These Three Remain and include:
- Digital webinars: Seeking to equip congregational leaders on specific themes for this season of ministry and mission.
- Digital conversations: Facilitating the sharing of ideas for a variety of aspects of church life and providing encouragement for those who want to be part of a bigger conversation.
- Digital conferencing: Exploring big ideas relevant to envisioning the whole denomination for this season of ministry and mission.
- Digital reflection: Ongoing stimulation through the Tides digital devotional, blogs on a variety of subjects, podcasts carrying the story of PCI as we navigate these days together and Facebook pages aimed at supporting leaders in children’s and youth ministry.
This way of gathering digitally will represent a shift in emphasis from recent years in which much of our denominational conversation has been facilitated physically with people gathered around tables all over the country in various presbytery evenings, regional events and larger conferencing. That will simply not be possible for the foreseeable future, however many of us are already getting used to interacting onscreen and benefiting from utilising available technology.
*The Presbyterian Church in Ireland will be using the Microsoft Teams platform for webinar and conversation elements of the Refined programme. You can find out more about downloading and using Microsoft Teams here.
One thing remains
As we transition from the These Three Remain initiative one thing remains – to say a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed by blogging, sharing on podcasts, writing Tides devotional material, stimulating the prayer life of the denomination, creating video clips to fire the imagination and crafting Bible study resources. Behind the scenes a small number of people have worked tirelessly to ensure a quality of content, look and feel that has been widely appreciated by many congregations and their members. Your genuine expressions of a working faith, tireless hope in God and love for the life and work of his church have shown a Presbyterian Church in Ireland still burning but flourishing in these months of God’s refining.
Look out for more details about the Refined programme appearing regularly on the PCI website and on social media throughout the autumn.
Rev David Thompson is Secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland’s Council for Congregational Life and Witness.
This blog is part of a wider series under the campaign, These Three Remain to help members and congregations during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Visit the These Three Remain hub here.