Two places at once!

It would have been really cool to do it as a kid. In fact there were many times as a kid when to be in two places at once would have been great. Might even have saved me from some tricky situations! And think of all the things you could do: you could not only be talking to your mum on the phone and doing your duty as her son, but you could also…Wait! What am I saying! I’ve tried doing two tings at once while I’m talking to my mum, and she always knows. Always! But then being in two completely different places at the same time, doing completely different things, that would be something else wouldn’t it? Doing the shopping in one place, while finishing the sermon in another. Picking the children up from school, while catching up on a lost night’s sleep. Being at work while being on holiday! And yesterday I was. No, not at work and on holiday, but in two places at once! Well, at least it looked that way. I was leading the Crawley Baptist Church live stream service from my dining room. (I’m actually quite enjoying doing these even though I get really nervous before we start. I do wonder sometimes if I should have gone into T.V. I love the live thing and having to think on your feet. But back to the plot.) And, while I was leading the service in Crawley, I was also preaching in a Baptist Church in Horsham! Now that’s quite a feat don’t you think? Two services. Two congregations. Two churches. Two Towns. At the same time! A few weeks ago it would never have occurred to me that I would ever do something like that. And the truth is, it’s only because of the lockdown that it happened at all. The truth is that I was asked, before the lockdown, to be the moderator of a church in Horsham (that just means I’ve been asked to help a church who are without a minster at the moment). As part of that role I was asked to preach at the church on the 10th May, yesterday. So I said yes, and in the normal scheme of things would have been at the church in Horsham yesterday to speak. But then lockdown came. The church still wanted me to speak, but they are having to do what we are having to do, and they asked me to record my talk, which I did. So yesterday, as part of their service, they played my recorded talk. And over in Crawley, I was leading the live stream! At the same time. When Jesus told his disciples it was better for them that he went away, they didn’t get it (John 16v7). By leaving, Jesus enabled God to be present in a new way. What? Well, here’s the extraordinary thing: Jesus could only be in one place at a time in his humanness. But after he’s gone, because of the presence of the Holy Spirit, God’s presence is with his people in a new way. Now before you lynch me for heresy, think of it like this: Jesus could only be in one pace at a time - it’s part of the human condition. But now, he is everywhere his followers are because of the gift of the Hoy Spirit. Wherever followers of Christ go, so does the Kingdom of the heavens. Which is great news. Wherever you go in this crisis, whoever you talk to, chat with, email, message, write to or Zoom with, God is present by the Holy Spirit. You carry the Kingdom of the heavens. You do. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. Jesus himself said so! As you do that in all the places you are allowed to go right now, others are doing it too and God is with them. God is in two places at once! Actually, he’s wherever his people are. Truth is, I can’t be in two places at once, not really, however much I dream about it. But God can! And he chooses to do it through me and you. Two places at once. And then some!