THE BREATH YOU BREATHE
“And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 31.28)
“Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.” (Luke 18.1)
THERE IS considerable concern among Christians that this is a time of low popularity for the churches. It is true. Attendance across denominations for Sunday worship has gone through massive decline and is still falling. Currently, about 1% of the people in Wales come to worship with the Church in Wales and that figure looks set to decrease unless something changes.
However, this reality need not make us downhearted and it certainly is not a cause to give up. History tells us of many times when the Faith (be it the pre-Christ kind or the Jesus Movement herself) has faded from the centre of things but it never dies. As recently as the Victorian era, the church buildings in Gower had fallen into disuse but they were rebuilt bigger and stronger than before when revival came.
But the messages of Jeremiah and Jesus, quoted above, are not really about buildings or places of worship at all. They are about the people of God living in God. Sometimes this means living in the margins or the cracks between the breaking slabs of “the system” but all that is required is that it is done prayerfully, authentically, faithfully, hopefully. Do not lose heart. Pray continually. Faith is not a Sunday pastime or an occasional hobby. It’s not even a way of life. Faith is every breath you breathe, every step you walk.
It IS LIFE.
Tonnau Duw ('God's waves') Fr Tim Ardouin 