The new lockdown in England, while it (and the pandemic itself) brings great hardship, is a great opportunity for the church to proclaim the gospel. (Thread) /

Christ brings hope in the face of despair; life in the face of death; joy in the face of mourning; blessing in the face of hardship; delight in the face of disappointment; good in the face of evil. So hard times are always the right time to proclaim Christ. /

The main evangelistic event, the centrepoint of our witness to the world, is the worship of God's gathered people, the church. And praise God, he has moved our government to permit gathered worship to continue. /

At the same time, many of the other things in life which people enjoy doing - both good and bad - have been put on hold. We are going to be in a situation where the church is the enjoyable thing on offer - apart from work - to leave home for. /

We should see this as a great opportunity: to invite people to come to church, to hear of, to witness, and in time to experience the joy of meeting with God the Father in the name of the Son in the power of the Spirit. /

We may never again have an opportunity when there are so many people made aware of their need for life to mean more, and so few other competing distractions to the gospel on offer. /

Of course this requires us to be careful to continue to take appropriate precautions to manage the risk of Covid spread, both to repay the trust placed in us by the government and to give people confidence to come. /

But it's a wonderful opportunity, for which we should thank God and of which we should make the most.