Welcome to Thursday’s Podcast.  Our reading today is 2 Thessalonians 3: 6-13.  Today we’ll focus on verse 13:

 ‘And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.’

REFLECTION:

One of the key causes of conflict among our children is the TV.

It seems difficult to settle on a TV programme our eldest daughter and son will actually watch together.  We have sophisticated diplomatic ways of ensuring each person gets their allotted time.  Occasionally I have used the phrase – which I swore I never would – ‘when I was your age we only had 4 channels… and the only choices were to change the channel or turn it off’.  Is it me or was life in the 80s and early 90s a lot simpler?  I digress.

My kids who are known as Generation Alpha – they will only have ever known a plethora of digital choice.  Trips to Blockbuster on a Friday night – I used to love those – will be confined to cultural history.  This generation are the YouTubers.  Take Ryan’s World, a YouTube channel in which Ryan from Texas reviews toys and games to an audience of 23.5 million subscribers. The channel, which employs 28 people, reportedly generated $26 million in 2019. Ryan – guess what – is only 9 years old.

Scary, huh?

If there’s anything this current ‘cultural moment’ exasperated by Covid-19 has brought up – it’s the question of what will the church look like in the future?  The closer of church buildings has thrown us further into the digital world – our church among many – offer what those clever people at Netflix have known for a while – the future multiple digital choice.

From Vicars setting themselves on fire and going viral in the process, to the Priest – all robed up – about to celebrate communion alone (online) to have his holy moment disturbed by an Amazon delivery driver hammering on the door – Covid-19 has changed the way we are church at the moment.

It’s been interesting for our own church too.  Some people who shall remain nameless have told me that they enjoy STC online and watch from the comfort of their beds.  But I said to Mick and Tricia that wasn’t cool.  Only kidding – it wasn’t them.  Some other folks I’ve chatted too – socially distant of course – and I must add, from another wonderful church in Sheffield, have told me that ‘they don’t want to go back’ to normal church.   They prefer online church.  One man told me he liked it because he ‘didn’t need to leave his house’.  You can sit in your PJs, eat your breakfast and feel connected.

Is this the future?  Well from what I see people talking about online– the answer seems to be yes.  Sure, churches will meet again as the lockdown is lifted no doubt.  But it seems as though Digital Church – or least people accessing church digitally – is here to stay.

Honestly I’m not totally what I think about all that.  It needs some serious reflection.  But today’s Bible passage may have something to say to us as we embrace the world of the digital church.

Paul is tackling what the NIV strongly calls idleness.  In fact he says in verse 6 to keep away from lazy Christians.  Pretty strong stuff.  So, what’s the issue?

Well the issue at hand is that to the apostle Paul church is primarily a family.  It’s where you belong and contribute.  Paul’s tackling those who are not giving of themselves to the communal life of the church.  The early church was a communal beast.  For example, Deirdre might bring her guitar and Alan might bring some food and so on…  and a prophetic song to accompany Deirdre.  They’re on Spotify.  Check them out.  It was a family – communal thing where there was an expectation that everyone contributed – not just consumed.  Hospitality was a big deal and it’s said that some Christians – perhaps fearful at the en...