As the Shadow Chancellor writes of a ‘global hurricane’ descending upon us in the form of economic crisis, we are reminded that our only true security comes from Christ.
This week's news
Storm clouds gathering
‘The global hurricane is upon us,’ read the teaser for Ed Balls’ editorial in the London Evening Standard on Monday, just above the terrifying front-page headline: ‘Europe’s back in the danger zone’. But there was no accompanying picture of a typhoon or tornado – Balls is the Shadow Chancellor and the storm he fears is an economic one.
The European – and worldwide – economic crisis is not new news, but it has been making waves this week, with fears of a possible collapse of the euro and subsequent fallout reaching a high with the Greek election and increasing pressures on Spanish debts.
In Greece, the election may have gone the way that many economists and financial leaders wanted, with a win for the pro-bailout, pro-austerity party, New Democracy, but the win was weak and the markets failed to rally as much as had been hoped. At the time of writing, things remained very much unsettled, and it’s likely that unrest in the country will continue for some time.
In Spain things are no better, with its own financial problems worsening.
And why does all this matter? Because economic crisis on a national and international scale can lead to many personal crises on an individual scale. Spain’s troubles include exceptionally high unemployment at 24.73% (Spain in Numbers:) and majority youth unemployment of over 50%. Things have got so bad for some that a miners’ strike even descended into a full-scale riot with home-made rockets.
In Europe for many years we enjoyed relative wealth, power and security, but the threat of economic uncertainty and political instability now threaten to darken the horizon. Is there any hope of an answer?
In Greece, New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras has spoken of the need for a ‘national salvation government’. But from where will salvation come? Will simply joining forces with other parties be enough?
At Los Cabos, Mexico, where world leaders from 20 countries met for the annual two-day G20 Summit, promises were made to take ‘all necessary measures’ to bring the European crisis to an end but some of those measures will be tough for many, ushering in further austerity. Even so, the results may not be as good as hoped. The economic crisis is in any case no longer restricted to Europe with other countries suffering slowdown and uncertainty too.
We seem to have sailed out into waters beyond our depth and, as Stephanie Flanders, BBC Economics Correspondent, wrote on Monday: ‘the financial storm clouds are still hovering, and the risks … are all too real’.
Reflection
Peace! Be still!
For those of us in the UK and Ireland, with our relatively temperate weather, truly terrible storms are mercifully rare (although see below for reference to the recent flash floods in Wales) and the experience of being ‘at sea’ is more likely to feature as a metaphor than in reality for many of us.
Nevertheless, we all know what it’s like to be at the mercy of forces stronger than us, or problems that strike us out of the blue when we are unprepared, bringing us to our knees in fear and anxiety: serious illness, accident and injury, relationship breakdowns, bereavement, bullying, redundancy… This last difficulty in particular is likely to face more and more of us until and unless the hoped for economic recovery arrives, with businesses expected to suffer and unemployment likely to rise. So, we’ve all, like the disciples in Mark’s Gospel (Mark 4.35-41), felt the power of the storm and sea against us and known that we cannot stand against it.
But our God, who ‘answered Job out of the whirlwind’ (Job 38.1), can stand against it.
And more than that, as Jesus did, he can still the storm, because ‘even the wind and the sea obey him’ (Mark 4.41). Our God is the Lord who can say to the sea: ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther…’ (Job 38.11). And so, with God, we can stand firm against that sea of troubles.
It’s simply said, but much less simply believed and relied upon. The disciples knew Jesus well, but they were still afraid until the storm was calmed, so it should be no surprise if we find it hard to rest in God’s love when faced with difficulty.
But, like the disciples, we can nevertheless run with our troubles to Jesus, and trust that he will say ‘Peace! Be still!’ And from that small start, we too can begin to practise that ‘great endurance’ demonstrated by the apostle Paul, suffering, yet still thriving in the Lord (2 Corinthians 6.4).
Prayer
1. …open wide your hearts also (2 Corinthians 6.11-13)
Lord,
in times of difficulty and uncertainty, sometimes it feels easier to shut ourselves off from the world and to withdraw from company and from you, rather than to risk hope.
When we feel depressed and alone, and want to shut down, help us to recognise that you love us and are reaching out to us:
help us to open our hearts to you.
When we are frightened and anxious, sometimes it seems easier to cling to our pride and look for someone to blame, rather than to admit our vulnerability and failings and seek help from you.
When we feel insecure or out of our depth and want to shore ourselves up in the wrong way, help us to recognise that you forgive us and love us:
help us to open our hearts to you.
When we are so at sea in our troubles that we do not know where to turn, our minds racing with panic, tossing and turning at night, help us to recognise that you are there with us, our anchor, ready to steady us through the storm:
help us to open our hearts to you.
Amen.
2. Recent flooding in Wales
If you are able to display the pictures onscreen, you may wish to reflect in prayer upon the images of recent flooding caused by severe weather in Wales around a fortnight ago in this slideshow. Whether at sea or on land, a storm can cause problems that unsettle our lives and which we are powerless to prevent. Many of those affected by the heavy rain and flash floods in Wales will still be suffering distress from the loss of homes and security. Pray for peace, help and courage to endure.
Questions
Why does the economic crisis matter to me or to God?
If you’re on a small boat in the middle of a storm, it’s easy to know that it matters to you directly, because you can feel the buffeting and rolling of the wind and waves. But within something less concrete like an economic crisis, while some people may feel the effects early, others may not yet be truly aware of the severity of the situation. If you’re in work and not in debt – or if you’re young enough that your parents are still looking after you and they are blessed enough to be in the work they need – you may be feeling okay. But others will already be feeling battered by the UK’s double-dip recession and wider economic downturn.
If you have internet access you could explore the BBC’s web pages ‘Eurozone crisis explained: Impact on you’ which details some of the reasons that we should be concerned about the economic situation. It may at times seem like an abstract problem for the wealthy, with all the talk of banks and share price drops, but with 47% of UK exports going to Europe, our industry and employment prospects are likely to take a hit, and across Europe and the UK many people are already out of work and struggling. God cares about our basic needs, so surely this must be on the Lord’s heart and on ours. Pray for wisdom for international and financial leaders as they work to resolve the crisis. And perhaps for repentance for the excesses of the past.
Talk within the group about how the recession and economic crisis is affecting you and the people that you know, or companies in your area. Pray together for peace and strength – and work – for people who have been made redundant, and for those soon to leave school or university, who may also fear that they will be unable to find work.
Action
1. A semi-dramatised reading of Psalm 107.1,23-32
Use this semi-dramatised reading of the Psalm to vividly show the contrast between the storms and turmoil we can face in life and the peace that we can have within from Christ.
Read the words from the Psalm aloud (with the support of a microphone if you have one!) while a small group – rehearsed if you have time, or, if you’re brave, improvising from cards that you hold up at the right moments or instructions that you give – perform simple actions to bring the reading to life.
If you have children’s percussion instruments to hand, you can ask the children to get involved making a racket for the appropriate portion, so long as you can trust them to stop immediately when asked!
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures for ever.
[Pause.]
Some went down to the sea in ships;
[Climb onto stage / come out to the front – or just stand up.]
doing business on the mighty waters;
[Shake hands on a deal.]
they saw the deeds of the Lord,
[Look out at the horizon…]
his wondrous works in the deep.
[…and peer down into the depths]
For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
[Sway heavily from side to side.
If you have instruments, now is the time to start making a noise!]
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
[Keep swaying. And keep up the noise for the next few verses…]
They mounted up to heaven, [Stand on tiptoes.]
they went down to the depths; [Duck down.]
their courage melted away in their calamity;
[Hug yourself close or hide your face behind your hand.]
they reeled and staggered like drunkards;
[Reel and stagger! But not too far… PS. It should still be noisy!]
and were at their wits’ end.
[Put your head in your hands or pull at your hair.]
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
[Hands together in prayer or thrown upwards to heaven.]
and…
[Pause. SILENCE. Put the instruments down!]
he brought them out from their distress;
[Lower hands gently and relax into normal standing position.]
he made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
[Look around slowly and smile.]
Then they were glad because they had quiet,
[Smile, thumbs up, gentle hugs.]
and he brought them to their desired haven.
[Come softly together into a group and hold hands.]
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love
[All shout: ‘Hosanna!’ and raise hands together.]
for his wonderful works to humankind.
[Shout: ‘Hosanna!’ and raise hands together.]
Let them extol him in the congregation of the people
[Shout: ‘Hosanna!’ and raise hands together.]
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
[Shout: ‘Hosanna!’ and raise hands together.]
2. Stormy weather
If you’d rather avoid all those metaphors for economic crisis and focus simply on real-life stormy weather, and you have the ability to make use of audio / video in your service, you could use one or more of the following as a springboard into the reading.
The shipping forecast audio for the week can be played from BBC iPlayer (though storms on the right days can’t be guaranteed!), and the tropical storm warning link given below includes a video warning of storms approaching Japan and Taiwan in the middle of the week, with satellite pictures. Weather forecasts are a mainstay of our broadcast channels. Why are we so interested in them? Use this as a prompt to discuss or reflect upon our desire to know what’s coming up ahead, and to be prepared for trouble. Does it help us to feel that we are staying in control? Are we ever really in control? God’s question-answers in Job 38 make clear that we never can. Does this have a resonance for us beyond the weather, in the way we try to plan and work out our lives? This doesn’t mean that we should never plan ahead, just that we need to recognise that the one certainty and hope that we do have is that our God is the Lord who has power over all the storms of this world, and in whom we can find anchorage whatever weather we face.
• The Shipping Forecast http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qfvv
• Tropical storms threaten Far East (19 June)
Young People
With young people in particular, you might like to look at the shocking statistic presented on slide 2 of ‘Spain in Numbers’ that 51.5% of young people in Spain are unemployed. That’s the majority of them. How must that make them feel? Pray that they will somehow be able to maintain their self-worth and find hope for the future. Pray also – first – for similar concerns among your own group.
Rebecca Froley was the launch editor for www.rootsontheweb.com 10 years ago. Following a career in business-to-business web publishing, she was made redundant in 2011, so the issues here are quite real to her! Grateful for having found full-time employment again as a web manager for a journalism start-up at the beginning of 2012, she prays that others facing redundancy and similar struggles may find comfort and strength in God and the support of the church.
Hypertext links to other websites are for the convenience of users only and do not constitute any endorsement or authorisation by ROOTS for Churches Ltd.