The cross is the means by which Jesus achieved salvation for us; it is also our pattern for death to self and service of others. A reflection on John 12 reminds us that the death of Jesus was unique and necessary to produce the fruit of spiritual harvest among the nations. Today God works through a cross-centred church: humble, committed to sacrificial service, lifting up Christ.
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The Book of Joel begins with a pandemic: there have been successive invasions of locusts which have destroyed the Agrarian economy of ancient Israel. Joel regards this ‘natural’ disaster as a judgement on the nation. As in the Old, so in the New Testament, the importance of corporate repentance is held together with need for a personal response.
When faced with a problem, we often look for a strong personality to lead us and protect our way of life. Who is the one who will rescue the contemporary church from secularism? Perhaps we are looking in the wrong place. It’s not a person (apart from Christ himself). Rather, it’s a vision, such as the one articulated by the Gafcon movement which guards the future for global, faithful Anglican life and witness.