Setlist - 26 Jun 2016
Sunday morning at Kings

Tags: communion

A strange one today. For the benefit of posterity, the UK just voted to leave the EU and we're in the midst of political and economic chaos. It's always a different task leading worship when significant world events are going on. The pastoral aspect of the role enormously comes to the fore.

I'm conscious that people in our congregation have strong feelings each way. There are those who are celebrating what they see as freedom for the UK, but also many for whom this seems deeply contrary to the spirit of our country and even the Gospel. And regardless of how optimistic anyone might be about the eventual outcome, there's no denying the dramatic instability that the vote has caused.

I was also particularly conscious that lots of members of our church family were born outside the UK. It's not hard to see how for some the referendum rhetoric has communicated "you're not welcome here". I find this aspect of it deeply heartbreaking.

So the job today was to emphasise that God is the unchanging ruler of the world, that the Gospel is a universal welcome, and that true freedom is found only in Christ. That's how I chose songs and that's how I led: focussing our hearts and our faith on a greater and better reality than any other grounds for hope or despair.

In times like these it's so clear to me that the worshipping church is a sign of the radically alternative political order of the kingdom of God. I celebrate that, but I also feel very much like a stranger in a strange land.