For Whom the Bell Tolls

My friend, Cees, (pronounced 'Case') is Dutch. Well, that's where he was born and raised; his speech still has tinges of the beautiful Dutch accent, but now he lives in Australia and has for almost forty years.

Cees is a butcher by trade, and a very good one. Cees is also an exceptional pastoral carer and helps far and wide (even in the butcher shop) to bring peace into places of discord. This morning, Cees and I got together (where two or three are gathered...) and had a chat about the past, present and future.

The past...

Cees' father, Willem, grew up during World War II. As Holland was overrun by the Nazis, this took an incredible toll on the people of Willem's village. One day, when Willem was in school, he heard a terrible noise. As the children gathered at the window to see what had happened, they noticed that the Nazis had climbed the steeple of the village church and had removed the large church bell from its perch far above the town and had pushed it over the edge where it had made a terrible noise as it hit the ground. That large bell had been ringing out over the countryside to call people to worship for years; the symbolism of the bell being tossed ingloriously over the side - a silencing of the church's voice - was evident to the entire village.

The church's use of the bell was to summon people to gather; the Nazis wanted to melt the bell down to make bullets out of it.

Interestingly, this episode was significant in Willem's life, and throughout the next weeks, the people of the village knew when worship was supposed to occur, and actually showed up in even greater numbers without the bell tolling. The symbolic act of ripping out the vocal cords of the church created an even deeper indwelling of spiritual need. The silence actually caused people to sit up and listen for what was missing. In the ensuing months, Willem's family hid numbers of Jews in their barns - a true testament to their faith. Even when the bell stopped ringing, faith was strengthened.

The present...

What is the symbolic bell for the Church today which has been thrown from its lofty perch? How has this current virus changed (if at all) the communication of the gospel?

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent in one purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his or her interests, but also for the interests of others.     (Philippians 2:1-4)

For centuries, and rightly so, the church has been the light on the hill, an illumination in the midst of the darkness of past crises. During the plagues, Christians were some of the first to step out from their homes to bring soup and sustenance to those suffering through the isolation and pain of disease. Unified in love, fellowship, affection, mercy and purpose, the Church continued to bring hope in very practical ways. Worship services were secondary to health services. The average Christian put his or her faith on the line.

In 2020, perhaps this is where we are again? As the epidemic of disease, fear, panic and discord grips the planet, the average Christian, because of unity in the Spirit (and of love, affection and mercy), will put his or her faith on the line. This primary focus of faith makes the online worship service a secondary focus. As much as we would like to go back to the way things were, even just three months ago, this is a new reality. Although we long for worship in our congregational buildings, the construction of personal and corporate faith must go back into the trenches to be the light where darkness has dug in. How does this look?

The future...

In the book, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway writes, 'For what are we born if not to aid one another?'

Central to the book is the core of finding people, often people very different to oneself, in the midst of the battle of life. It is here, in the trenches, that we encounter not atheist or believer, but human souls all seeking connection in spite of fear, fatigue and fatalism.

For what are we born if not to aid one another? For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose. Do everything without arguing or complaining, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and depraved generation, among whom you will shine like stars in the world by holding firm to the word of life...  (Philippians 2:13-16a)

What is the near future of Christianity? To aid others. Yesterday, a man named Peter came to the church building. He was part of the team that creates a space for connection on Monday nights. This team, part of Meet 'n Eat, makes meals for the community but just as importantly creates space for people to listen to life stories as they eat. This is a simplified retelling of what occurs, but the people that share life together would consider it a privilege, honour and blessing to be together.

Peter went to the kitchen to retrieve some meals that had already been prepared. Within minutes, I saw that Peter and Ros were driving away with the meal to take to one of the Monday night community members. This woman had contacted the social media page and called for help. Not surprisingly, these two faithful people were two of the first to volunteer. As the bell rang out for help, they raised their hands to enter the fray.

It is a beautiful thing to see how God is working in his people to work according to his purpose.