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A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Canon Stephen Shipley

Good morning.

Our church, like so many during this lockdown period, has been experimenting with on-line worship. For several Sunday evenings now, we’ve invited others to join us ‘virtually’ using our screens to connect with each other. The results, I have to admit, were at first mixed – and sometimes hilarious - as everyone got used to the inevitable problems of communication and learnt how to remember to switch their microphones on or mute themselves – an operation which I assure you is quite painless!

Fortunately people were graciously tolerant when things went wrong…. I have enjoyed though assembling anthologies of words and music – spiritual inspiration which I hope has brought at least a little pleasure and diversion from the tedium of so little practical activity. I also had my first ‘virtual’ preaching experience – ten days ago - to a church in Greenwich Village, New York City, no less! But although it was Pentecost Sunday and it was carefully explained to me that I was speaking from a so-called ‘cloud platform’, it made no difference. As there was nobody with me it still felt as though I was talking to an empty biscuit tin!

Oh dear. How we long for a respite from all this frustration. But then I remembered that today, 11 June, is St Barnabas Day. And who was Barnabas? He was nicknamed the ‘Son of Encouragement’ by the early Church. He was the kind of person you wanted to have around as you were serving the Lord. He wasn’t just a spiritual cheerleader: he was a man of great conviction who wanted to see the Church flourish and did all he could to make it happen.

So perhaps I should ask God to give me and my church a heart like St Barnabas.

Lord, come into our lives and fill them with your glory.

Amen.