Locked Down Alone

“One third of the world’s population is now in lockdown. Across the globe, people everywhere are staying at home with their families and trying to find a new normal behind closed doors (while trying not to drive each other crazy)!

But what about those living alone? They are dealing with the lack of physical touch for weeks on end and have no one to keep them company in-person.

If you or someone you know is living alone and is about to go into lockdown, you’ll benefit from hearing wise words from those who have been living alone in lockdown for 10 days or more. From strict lockdowns in the Middle East, to tiny apartments in Paris or Rome, here are some thoughts about how seven single believers are handling this reality. …“ 

– Tim Challies shares some pointers from Lauren Moore in France.

See also:

Culture shock: Why everyone’s feeling it, and how to cope, with Margie and Simon Gillham. – Forget the Channel.

St. Andrew’s Cathedral Service 29 March 2020

Here’s this morning’s service from St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney.

Coronavirus and Christ

“It matters little what we think about the coronavirus. But it matters forever what God thinks. He is not silent about what he thinks. Scarcely a page in the Bible is irrelevant for this crisis.

Our voice is grass. His is granite. ‘The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever’ (1 Peter 1:24–25). His words in Scripture ‘cannot be broken’ (John 10:35). What he says is ‘true, and righteous altogether’ (Psalm 19:9). Listening to God, and believing him, is like building your house on a rock, not sand (Matthew 7:24). …”

– John Piper shares Biblical truth at Desiring God.

That page also has links to related resources on their website.

Archbishop Glenn Davies’ video for the special Day of Prayer on Sunday March 29

Archbishop Glenn Davies speaks about praying through the Coronavirus pandemic and a special day of prayer on Sunday March 29th.

Download to play during your ‘virtual church’.

“Prayer is our best weapon against the forces of darkness, and this virus, as part of the fallen world, is exactly that. God’s in control, but this virus is doing a deadly work around the world.”

The Archbishop encourages us all to devote ourselves to prayer (Colossians 4:2) – and to be specific in our prayers. A very helpful video.

If we all stream our services, will anyone ever come back?

“There are some who are concerned that when our churches once again open their doors, many people will be content to remain at home, having now experienced a virtual equivalent.

I am not concerned. I am not concerned that committed Christians will reject actual church for cyber-church anymore than I’m concerned that committed spouses will reject face-to-face time in favour of FaceTime.”

– Tim Challies addresses a worry some have.

Obedience to God and Love of Neighbour in the Face of a Coronavirus: A Christian’s Mandate

“Just this week, I spoke with a national reporter for a major newspaper who asked me why people, in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, are almost universally asking some of the most urgent and important questions any human being could ask.

I answered that God made all humanity in his image – and as image bearers, there are certain questions we cannot avoid. …

A crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic tends to jerk humanity into the most fundamental theological questions. …

the Christian worldview actually speaks to the crisis we now face and the issues of shelter in place and quarantine.”

– Albert Mohler finds clear help from the Bible in thinking through how Christians should act in this time.

Dr Richard Condie, Bishop of Tasmania, preaches on Psalm 91

Here’s the service of Morning Prayer from St. David’s Cathedral in Hobart, 22nd March 2019.

Bishop Richard Condie spoke on Psalm 91.

Something more important than lighting a candle

Writing from Canada, The Anglican Samizdat points out that there are more helpful things to do during the current crisis than to light a candle.

All Saints Cathedral Bathurst Morning Prayer for 29th March

Bishop Mark Calder, and the team at All Saints Cathedral in Bathurst, have produced this recording of Morning Prayer for Sunday 29 March 2020. Mark preaches on John 11. Share widely.

Tighter restrictions on home gatherings push fellowship online

“A number of new restrictions on gatherings mean that home groups are no longer possible according to government COVID-19 guidelines.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday night, that visits to homes, even with family, ‘should be kept to a minimum and with very small numbers of guests’. …”

– The latest from SydneyAnglicans.net.

(Photo: An almost deserted Sydney shopping mall yesterday.)

Archbishop Glenn Davies speaks about the COVID-19 crisis at The Pastor’s Heart

Archbishop of Sydney Glenn Davies joined Dominic Steele to answer questions on how we can lead our churches through the COVID-19 crisis – at The Pastor’s Heart.

33 minutes, well worth watching.

Culture shock: Why everyone’s feeling it, and how to cope, with Margie and Simon Gillham

“Culture shock is what happens when you move from one culture to another, and all your ways of dealing with the world become compromised by the changes you’re going through… That’s complicated and it’s exhausting. And that’s what everyone is going through right now. We have new ways of greeting people, we have new languages, new modes of communication…”

Simon and Margie Gillham are former missionaries with the Church Missionary Society. Simon is now the head of the Department of Mission at Moore College, and Margie is a Mission Development Facilitator for the Church Missionary Society. They have a great deal of experience in helping missionaries adjust to culture shock. They shared with me their thoughts and experiences, with many practical tips for how to adjust to the “new normal” that has been brought about by measures to contain the Covid-19 virus.

– Yet another very helpful resource from Lionel Windsor at Moore College.

Emotional wellbeing in crazy times, with Paul Grimmond @ Moore College

“We’re living in crazy, tumultuous times. Covid-19 is forcing us to make radical changes in our lives, changes which inevitably take an emotional toll on us.

I had a chat to Paul Grimmond, Dean of Students at Moore College, about what he has been doing over the last few weeks here at Moore to help students & staff identify and process our feelings in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the reality of our ever-changing situation. Paul has a great depth of pastoral wisdom; the insights he shares here are valuable for all of us.”

– Another very helpful resource from Lionel Windsor.

My Coronavirus Meltdown Moment

“The virus is called a coronavirus because of the crown-like spikes on the surface of the cell. It’s wearing a crown. This virus is a wannabe king. It has the power to make people fear it, to have it rule over their lives.”

– A profound insight from Jocelyn Loane at The Australian Church Record.

How the world worshipped on one of the most unusual Sundays in Church history

“Would it be an exaggeration to say that Sunday, March 22, 2020 was one of the most unusual Sundays in the history of Christianity? I don’t think it would be, because on this day the majority of Christians across the world were either not permitted to gather to worship or considered it inadvisable to do so. …

I was eager to document this unusual Sunday, so opened up my address book and got in touch with people all across the world to ask if they would record their experience by taking photographs.”

– Tim Challies has a pictorial overview.

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