Transformation in the North 6: A Royal Visitation

Queen Elizabeth II comes to York tomorrow. It’s going to be a royal visitation. York will look even cleaner, smarter and pictureque than ever. It’s involved much planning and preparation, and there’ll be increased security. Thousands of people will line the streets to welcome her on Maundy Thursday. It will be a special day.

No doubt the Queen has her faults. She is human like me and like you. And more than ever we know that the royal family make mistakes and are fallible. But nevertheless the Queen is a great woman. She literally is a national treasure.

The Queen has a strong faith in Jesus Christ, modelled to her from a young age by her mother. This comes across clearly in her annual Christmas message which points to Jesus Christ more strongly each year. Last Christmas the clocked reached 3pm in our household between the turkey and the Christmas pudding courses, so those gathered with us for lunch paused eating and we went into the living room to listen to the Queen. By the end a number of us, myself included, were close to tears, sensing the anointing of God’s Spirit on her powerful and clear message of hope to the nation.

You see, the Queen – the person with the greatest authority in the land -  is a woman who herself is under authority. She knows that there is a higher power. A greater monarch. And his name is Jesus Christ.

So whilst it’s great to have a visit from the Queen of England in York tomorrow, what we need even more is a royal visitation from the King of Kings! If it’s not his second coming here to earth, then let him come and visit us by his Spirit in revival power. Because it’s his presence that we particularly need in our city, in our region and in our nation.

Psalm 24 is helpful here. It’s a prayer for ‘the king of glory to come in’ to a city. It’s a prayer for a fresh visit from the great king-God. It’s a proclamation to gates and ancient doors to be opened, which is very pertinent to a city like York, which still has its walls and gates. Psalm 24 is a prayer for the great divine King to be welcomed and to be given access. It’s a prayer for God’s presence to come.

Rather like we’ve got ready for the visit of the Queen, we need to be ready for a divine visitation. Are you ready?

Ready to Stand

The lifting up of heads (in v.7) applies to us and means that God wants us to be able to stand confident in his presence when he visits us. That means there should be nothing embarrassing or shameful about our lives that should cause us to hang our heads. If there is, we need to repent of it and receive God’s forgiveness. If we don’t, we wont be able to stand tall. We won’t be ready.

Ready to Speak

According to Psalm 24, when our God-king enters, many will not know him but they’ll want to, because he’ll be seen to be ‘glorious’ – which basically means amazing! People will be asking ‘who is he, this amazing king?’ – ‘who is this king of glory?’ (v.8) Those who know will clearly say: ‘he is the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. He is the Lord Almighty’ (v.8 & 10).

People will be inquisitive. They will ask questions – and followers of Jesus must be ready to speak (rather like we’re told in 1 Peter 3:15 ‘always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give  the reasons for the hope that you have’).

Ready to Serve

When Queen Elizabeth II comes tomorrow, the day is about her. She will be the focus. And rightly so, for she is the Queen. Men will bow and women will curtsey. Eyes will be off others, and on to her. Similarly, when the Great King visits us, the focus will be on him, and women and men will kneel and adore – pleased to be his subjects. That’s because he is who this psalm tells us he is. He is the creator (vv.1-2). The holy one (vv.3-4). The one who blesses and saves (v.5). Whose favour we rightly seek (v6). He is ‘the King’ (v.7). He is ‘strong and mighty’ (v8). He is ‘mighty in battle’ (v.8). He is ‘the King of glory’ (v.9). He is ‘the Lord Almighty’ (v.10). And his name is Jesus Christ (Phil 2:9-10; Col 1:15-20).

If God is like that, then we should willingly submit to him. That is the God that I certainly want the people of York and the North to know, experience and embrace. That is the God worthy of our service.

So come Lord Jesus! Come and visit us with your presence. Come, king of glory! You are welcome.

But are God’s people ready?

Transformation in the North 5: Expanding Horizons

Most of us have a vision that’s too narrow. We find it difficult to look beyond the possibilities of the here and now and we end up settling for something that’s ok, rather than the best. That’s true of our relationships – especially in our families and our marriages – and also of our relationship with God. It’s also true too of how we view our workplaces, our studies, our churches and communities. As we look around at how life is, it’s difficult to believe that something even better, wider and more influential is possible – and that God could do that kind of thing through us. But that’s how great things normally happen as ordinary people get gripped by an alternative picture of the future, that sparks fresh passion, persistent prayer and focussed action.

That was Jesus’ perspective. So one day he’s in the Galilean town of Capernaum teaching and healing. Exciting but probably tiring. And yet the very next day (Luke 4:42) he’s up early praying to his Father, pressing on and undergirding everything he does with prayer. His work is going well and the locals want him to stay. But despite popularity Jesus moves on. Why? Jesus is gives a very clear reason: ‘I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent’ (v.43). Clearly Jesus feels a sense of responsibility not just for that locality but for his region. His vision is broad. His horizons are wide. And that’s something I’ve been emphasising at The Belfrey – to have a real sense of responsibility for our locality: the City of York, but also to feel an increasing responsibility for our region: the North.

We need to have a strategic eye for what the Lord is doing in our region. To pray for key cities and churches. To see where there may be gaps in provision. To train people. To send people. To plant churches. To be a resource church for our region. When I spoke about being a resource church at end of our Refresh weekend a couple of weeks ago I ended up saying that the people of The Belfrey are not called to change the world. That’s the job of whole church. We are called (like every local church) to change our locality, which for us is York. But – unusually for most local churches – we’re also called to play our part in changing our region: the North of England. For many of us to see that requires an expanding of horizons.

I am a parent and I want my kids to have a broad understanding of life. I don’t want them to think too small, or narrow. I want them to appreciate God’s great world with its breadth of cultures; diversity of people; range of music styles and multiplicity of food tastes and flavours. And one of the best way for them to grasp that is through travel. So our second son Joel is going for 4 weeks to Borneo this summer, and Luke, our third son is going to Kenya for 12 days too. They’ve been saving and making plans. And it should be great. Travel will broaden their horizons.

Mark Twain, the American author who died around 100 yrs ago, said this about travel:

‘Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.’

Do you travel? Do you seize opportunities to see new places and meet new people? If you can, go. Go to places like Borneo, or Kenya – but don’t forget that there’s also benefit in going to less exotic places, like Newcastle, Otley, Hull, Selby, Thirsk, Chester or Bradford. As you visit places like that, there’s also much to learn and many people to meet. In those places the Holy Spirit can expand your horizons of what he is doing and still wants to do in our region.

Last Friday there was an important gathering in our region of the 24/7 Prayer Partners. It was held at the new YWAM base in the Leeman Road area of York. Roger Ellis from Revelation Fellowship in Chichester was there and he stayed overnight with us. One of my brothers, William, was there as were other key 24/7 Prayer leaders, and some of us from The Belfrey. As I heard stories of what God was doing in terms of prayer on a wider canvas, I sensed vision stirring within as my horizons were expanding.

Roger Ellis gave me a copy of his new book, Essence (which includes a section written by Luke Smith) and in it he quotes a lovely prayer of Sir Francis Drake. Drake was one of the great travellers of old. He knew that travel expanded one’s horizons. He was the son of Edmund Drake, a man of deep Puritan faith. When Francis was a child Edmund moved the family to Kent, where Edmund became a Church of England minister. His son Francis went on to become a famous sea captain and politician during the reign of Elizabeth I and was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe.

Sir Francis Drake was not perfect, but he was man of prayer and of great vision. And his prayer is a prayer I’ve been praying on a number of occasions this week – for myself, for us at The Belfrey, for our Diocese and for the people of our region. You might want to pray it for yourself and those around you.

Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity. And in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery; where losing sight of the land, we shall find the stars.

We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes; and to push into the future in strength, courage, hope and love.                                  

This we ask in the name of our Captain, who is Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Dangly Bits

I bought Sam a present yesterday – some bunting. It’s funny how something so simple can be so effective. This particular bunting is made up of string with some heart-shaped painted bits of wood dangling every 10cm or so. I’m not sure where she’ll put them, but in the summer they’ll look good outside or hanging across a window – a kind of laid-back, beach-house look with a celebratory feel.

There’s going to be lots of bunting going up in the coming months, as we celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. We’re going to see Union Jacks cut into various shapes and sizes, hanging from bits of string and rope. Simple but effective. For the purpose of celebration.

It’s funny that we celebrate by dangling things from on high. But we do. And it works. We like it. We do it at Christmas: in our homes and in our streets with twinkly lights. We celebrate with dangly bits.

Of course there are many other ways to celebrate. Many other ways to be thankful. Many other ways to rejoice. What’s important is that we really do celebrate, because there’s something deep inside of us that wants to express thank for things that are good. In the end, that’s what celebration is all about: being thankful for good things. And there are so many good things in life to celebrate: people, achievements, milestones, community things, birthdays, changed lives, homecomings, festivals, God. In fact it’s all about God, really. Because he is good. He is a good God. And celebration is about being thankful for all that is good.

The goodness of God is crucial to God’s nature and to our celebration. The bible is crystal clear on that (eg. Psalm 100:5). Many people know that. But not everyone, including some who claim to follow Jesus. Quite often I come across people who think that God is good to most people – apart from them. That can’t be true. Either he is good, or he’s not. Which is it?

Bill Johnson is helpful on this. He puts it like this:

‘Let’s get this straight: God is good all the time. The devil is bad all the time’

Pretty black and white – but actually very helpful. If God is good, all the time, which he is, then he deserves to be praised and celebrated. So start now. Today. Celebrate with your life. Celebrate with your praise. But find other creative ways to do so, especially as Easter approaches – the greatest Christian festival. Even consider using dangly bits to celebrate. Because God is good. All the time.

Transformation in the North 4: Evidence of Effective Evangelism

In my last blog I wrote about revival bringing change in society, suggesting that the hard evidence for that – other than stories of changed lives – would be seeing the reversal of many social trends. Having that kind of measurement will be really helpful. But society will only change through the changed lives of people – changed by the gospel of Christ. So how will be able to measure that? What will be the hard evidence showing that people really are coming to faith in Jesus?

For us at The Belfrey this question is timely as we’ve just had a great Refresh weekend away with fantastic input from Richard Jones who’s been helping us consider how we can effectively reach out to more and more people with the good news of Jesus Christ.

So, how can we measure effective evangelism? Well, no doubt one piece of evidence will be churches filling up. The number of worshippers will rise. But there’s another crucial measure that I’m looking for, and that’s this: an increase in baptisms.

As more folk come to faith in Jesus Christ, and want to publically commit their lives to him, we’ll see more baptisms. A boost in baptisms. A bountiful number of baptisms.

Let me paint a picture of what that might look like, gaining some inspiration from the very first church baptisms ever recorded, in Acts 2:37-47.

1.  Numbers

In a revived North there’ll be occasions when we baptise in large numbers. The most people I’ve presently baptised  in one go is twelve. My father was doing twenty at a time with the Iranians in Doncaster seven years ago. Ian Birkinshaw from Huntington, who’s just back from leading a Global Alpha Training team in India was telling me the other day  that he spoke to someone in India  who had recently baptised 1,400 in one day! In Acts 2:41 we’re told they baptised 3000 on the Day of Pentecost!!

2.  Regularity

In a revived North baptisms will take place regularly. And there’ll be some churches – and I hope St Michael le Belfrey will be one of them where they’ll need to baptise every week. They’ll have to, to keep up with the number of people coming to faith. These baptism services will take place mainly in the context of worship services where people will invite family and friends to witness the event, and they will share their story of what the Lord has done in their life. However there’ll also be a place for spontaneous baptisms too, like we read of in Acts 9, where Philip baptised an Ethiopian  in a pond. I’ve been involved in a few spontaneous baptisms in the past, and sometimes it’s right to do them like that.

3.  Public

In a revived North baptisms will take place where-ever possible in public. They won’t be hidden. That’s what would have happened in Acts 2.  Public baptisms put faith in the public domain with the candidates openly confessing faith in Christ. I believe we’ll see much more of that in the future. At St Michael le Belfrey we regularly baptise on our forecourt if we can and when we soon re-order the church building  we’re planning to install a permanent outside baptistery. If I have it my way I’ll make sure it’s plumbed to warm!

4.  Early

In a revived North baptisms will happen early in people’s faith journey. You will not need to have done an Alpha course. (It might help, but it’s not crucial) You will not need to have been around church for very long. You will not need to understand everything about God and faith and church. What you willneed, is to know that Jesus died for you and that you want to follow him for the rest of your life. That will be enough. Because that was enough in New Testament times. People will be able to learn more about the faith later. That’s what happened in Acts 2. They were baptised on the very day they came to Jesus Christ.

5.  Transformative

In a revived North baptisms will be transformative. As people identify with the death and resurrection of Jesus – going down into the water and coming up again, so they will mark an end to their old life and the beginning of their new life. Baptism will place a marker in time for them. It will be like a sign saying: ‘This is a New Life!’ We get a picture in Ac 2:42-47 of what that new life looks like for the transformed people of God, as people shared faith, love, time, possessions and all sorts together.

In the future I suspect we’ll see more deliverance from evil spirits taking place during baptisms – as happens today in revival contexts in parts of Africa and Asia. As people are cleansed in the water and filled with the Holy Spirit, demons will manifest and be cast out, with some fleeing spontaneously in the very act of baptism. This will not be weird. Just normal, as people are transformed by the power of Jesus Christ.

6.  Testimony

In a revived North baptisms will include story-telling  as people speak of how Jesus has saved them, loved them and forgiven them. Many of these will be recorded on video and will posted online – as we do now. These baptism stories will play a big part in helping others come to faith in Christ as the testimonies release faith.

7.  More

In a revived North baptisms will result in more baptisms. Some people will come to baptism services to support a family member or friend, and will end up there and then giving their life to Jesus Christ, and maybe  getting baptised in the same water on the same day! That will happen because of the power of the Spirit’s presence, the power of the testimonies and the power of the anointed preaching. I find  it easy to preach at a baptism service because the atmosphere is always positive and celebratory and people are excited, full of anticipation and faith. I love it! Baptising people is one of my favourite things in life. Seriously!

I’m praying that in York we’ll see at least 365 baptisms each year. That represents one person coming to faith each day. That’s what they saw happening in Ac 2:47 – ‘the Lord added daily to their number.’  In a small city like York that is easily achievable, though I don’t think we’re quite there yet. In fact we should be able to see that in St Michael le Belfrey Church alone – so that’s a small goal we’re working and praying for. And when we get there, we’ll ask for more.

So in a revived North baptisms will be the main measure of conversion. Do pray with me for more and more baptisms. In the future. But starting now. In our day. In our time.

Transformation in the North 3: Strengthening Society

I was encouraging The Belfrey’s staff team this morning to continue to use their imaginations to think about regional revival. What might the North of England look like, transformed by the good news of Jesus Christ? And in particular what might it look like in terms of social action? How might society be strengthened in a transformed North?

We get a picture of that in Romans 12:9-21, where Paul paints a fantastic picture of community life that is compelling and attractive. Where people are kind. Where they’re looking out for others. Working hard at relationships. Being hospitable. Feeding the hungry and overcoming evil with good.

One of the main signs that major social transformation is taking place will be seeing a reversal of many social trends. Over my lifetime, I’ve observed the yearly publication of increasingly depressing social statistics. And I’ve subconsciously believed the lie that ‘that’s just how it is’, and that trends will continue in that direction. But I have been challenged recently to think differently. To think God wants to bring change. Social change. A social change that comes from a spiritual change.

We see that time and again in the bible as revival came in days of old.  So men who used to choose their marriage partners in a particular way (Neh 13) stopped doing that and did things differently . People who used to educate their children in certain ways and even sacrifice them in fire (Jer 19:5) stopped and did things differently. People who used to perform unhelpful sexual practices (Jer 3&5) stopped and did things differently. Social trends changed.

If that kind of thing happened in the past, could it not happen today? And if so, what might it look like in terms of reversing some of our contemporary social trends?

1.  Work

Work is crucial in seeing poverty reduced and society changed. So in a revived North we will see unemployment fall and employment rise.

We’ll see new businesses begin. We’ll see sharp business people starting businesses not just to make money but also to make a difference in their community. Adding value. Improving the quality of life. Like Joseph Rowntree did with Rowntrees here in York in the 1880s, and like Blake Mycoskie is doing now with TOMS Shoes, where with every product sold, TOMS donates a pair to a person in need.

2. Money

Wealth doesn’t make us happy. Nor is it a good master. But it is a good servant. And in a revived North people will take more care with their money. Living responsibly with it. So in a revived North we will see crime fall and charitable giving rise.

We’ll see new charities beginning. Maybe we as a church, as well as training pioneer ministers (to plant new churches & renew old ones) can also train social action pioneers in best practice in starting fantastic charities. Wouldn’t that be great?

3. Relationships

In a revived North people will work hard at human relationships, following the wise teaching of the bible. So in a revived North we will see divorce rates fall and marriage numbers rise, and abortion numbers fall and the number of wanted and loved children rise.

That’s not because there’s a moral police force wagging the finger at people who get divorced or have abortions. It’ll be because people begin to return to the values that come from the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’ll be because the church loves and cares and models another way. It’ll be because people genuinely will choose another way. They’ll be working harder at their marriages. And asking the Spirit of God for help. They’ll be less promiscuous, having less drunken sex and making wiser choices about their relationships and their sexual habits.

4. Community

In a revived North people will look out for each other more. Not just in families, but caring for people on their streets. So in a revived North we will see loneliness fall and neighbourliness rise.

I expect we’ll see more street parties. More community events. More talking over garden fences. And more people looking out for the vulnerable on their road.

5. Addictions

In a revived North people will rely less on stimulants, drugs and alcoholic highs. So in a revived North we will see drug-related incidents fall and sobriety rise.

I suspect we’ll see not all, but some pubs closing, not just because people are drinking alcohol at home but because people will be drinking less alcohol. They won’t need so much. They now have God, who gives them peace so they don’t need the weekend high any more. If there is a high to be had, it will come from the Holy Spirit who pours his love into open hearts.

Do you see? Can you imagine it? Many social trends will begin to reverse. As we pray and work and love and care for our communities. As we, the people of the North of England are awakened by the Lord and begin to see God calling us to a better life. A kingdom-of-God life. With Jesus Christ ruling as King.

This will require radically different kinds of churches to the ones we now know. It will require courage. And faith. And much prayer. It will require Spirit-inspired action. And mature, wise teaching in these matters that effect the wider society. We mustn’t be afraid to teach, because we all need to be guided.

When my dad was leading an Iranian congregation in Doncaster, a newly converted man and wife came up to him one day and said, ‘Richard, will you show us how to live?’ My father asked them what they meant, to which they replied: ‘We want to know how to live. We’re now following Jesus. We want to know how to live life. In our family. With our friends. At work.’ My dad was taken aback. He thought that this revival amongst the Iranians was just about leading them to Christ but now he realised that it was more than that. It was about transformation of life and transformation of society. Starting with them. One by one. One family at a time.

If we are praying and working for the transformation of the North it will affect every area of life. And it should mean, over time, a reversal of many social trends. What a great legacy to leave the future children of the North.

In a generation…

Sam and I are writing a diary entry every day for Lent. It’s a kind of joint journal for 40 Days (or 46 days if you count the Sundays). We’re finding it fascinating reading each other’s comments. Here’s something I wrote earlier this morning.

Prayer is basically communication with God. Talking with him and listening to him. If we don’t pray, we won’t get to know him or his ways, and nothing of lasting significance will happen. If we don’t communicate then our relationship with him will struggle. Just like in a marriage. Relationships experts tell us that most marriages struggle and eventually fail due to a lack of communication. Sam and I know that’s true. When we talk and share and basically hang out, things are so much better. That’s true not just of human relationships but of our relationship with God too. As a nation, and as a region, so many have tried to live without God and neglected prayer and we wonder why God seems distant. Prayer is where it all starts. So I’m teaching that to the people of St Michael le Belfrey, trying to model that and just encourage folk to talk to God. If we do that, then anything is possible.

I asked at last night’s Evening of Prayer what we expected the North to be like in 25 years time – in a generation. What are we praying for? What are we working towards? I am 43 today. So by the time I reach my 68th birthday, what will the North look like? Will the churches be full to overflowing? Will crime be down? Will employment be virtually non-existent and businesses thriving? Will people be much more neighbourly, parks be safe for children to play and old people feel they don’t have to keep their doors locked all the time? Will the bible be respected again as the Word of God and prayer be normal and natural and good? That’s what I’m working towards. That’s what I’m praying for. I know it seems impossible, but you only live once, and that’s what I’m shooting for. Lord, will you do that? In our day? In our time?

For some, thinking that way is unrealistic and nonsensical. If you were to look in from the outside and see some of things we were praying for last night, you might have thought that. In fact at one point I stood back from what was going on, and imagined what it must have looked like to someone who didn’t get what we were doing. But then I thought of Noah building his ark ready for rains that no-one expected (Gen 6). He looked foolish; but wasn’t. I thought of Moses gathering thirsty people in the wilderness to stand by a rock trusting that unseen water was about to be released (Num 20). He looked foolish; but wasn’t. I thought of the widow gathering jars to fill with oil that didn’t exist (2 Kings 4). She looked foolish; but wasn’t. I thought of Jesus standing by the tomb of Lazarus, telling the dead man to come out (John 11). He looked foolish; but wasn’t.

When we pray prayers of faith, we can look foolish. Seem foolish. Even feel foolish. But we’re not. What we’re doing is just praying for that which is humanly impossible. We’re doing what the great saint AW Tozer encouraged us to do – in a phrase I have next to my desk: ‘God is looking for people through whom he can do the impossible – what a pity that we plan only the things we can do by ourselves.’ So ask the Holy Spirit to guide you, and then pray big prayers. The kind of prayers you find in Scripture. Pray the seemingly impossible. Then live in the light of your prayers. And then watch and see what God does.

The Sound of Transformation in York Station’s Gents Washroom on Platform 3

I heard a sound this morning that got my attention. I had left the house in a slight hurry, concerned when I looked at the clock that time was a bit tight as I had to drive into York, park up, walk to the train station and then pick up my ticket – and I didn’t want to miss the train to London. Anyway, in the end I found myself standing on the platform, ticket in hand with 8 minutes to spare. That was good. But then I realised I’d forgotten to do something before I left. It was something I do on auto-pilot every day, but in the rush it was something I’d missed. I’d not brushed my teeth. So I went to the gents washroom on Platform 3, pulled out my washbag and gave those molars a good old scrub and freshened up my mouth for the day.

And it was then, as I was brushing my teeth that I heard it. The sound. I looked around to see where it was coming from. But at first I couldn’t work it out. It was not loud, but it seemed to fill the room. As far as I could tell, I was the only person in the washroom, so I don’t think was coming from anyone’s phone or MP3 player. It might have been coming through the roof speakers, but that didn’t seem right. I suspect the sound was coming from behind a locked door at the end of the room, which looked like a cleaning cupboard that I suppose could have been some kind of rest room or base for the janitor. From there, pervading through the air of the gents washroom on Platform 3, was the sound.

The sound got my attention. I could hear it above the noise of me brushing my teeth. It was the sound of singing. Of people singing. Of happy joyful singing. I listened more carefully and as I listened I began to recognise the song. It was a song of praise. A song of thanksgiving and adoration to Jesus Christ. It was a song I couldn’t name but I know I’d heard it a few days before somewhere. And here it was, quietly but confidently filling the air space of York station’s gents washroom on Platform 3.

A number of thoughts went through my mind. First, it was not the usual sound in the gents loo! Second, I liked it. I liked it a lot. It was a beautiful sound. A lovely, glorious sound. Third, it didn’t feel inappropriate or out of place. Someone who didn’t know what it was wouldn’t have been troubled by it. It wasn’t blasting out, and unless someone was concentrating they might not even have been able to make out the words. So it wasn’t offensive. But it was nevertheless very much there. The sound of praise in York station’s gents washroom on Platform 3.

I returned to the platform, to be ready for the approaching train, and as I did so I was reminded of a line in a song that I do remember. It’s the second verse of Brenton Brown’s Praise is Rising, where we sing: ‘Hear the sound of hearts returning to you’. When I sing that I sometimes ask myself ‘what does the sound of people coming back to God actually sound like?’ I often feel I get a glimpse of that sound when I’m at a prayer meeting and people break into small groups and begin to pray, and I step back and listen. And I hear this sound of lots of people talking to God. Calling out to him. Asking for his help. His blessing. His intervention. His forgiveness. His power. That prayer-sound is a beautiful sound. Beautiful to me, and beautiful I think to God. I think praise-sound is similar. It’s good. Right. Natural. Normal.

Psalm 66:8 calls all peoples of the earth to ‘let the sound of God’s praise be heard’. I suspect that, despite forces of secularism that would want to privatise that sound and hide it away in sound-proofed church buildings ‘for those who like that kind of thing’… in a transformed North of England, it will be increasingly normal to hear the sound of praise outside of church. In homes. In parks. In concert venues. Maybe even on buses and trains. Even in York station’s gents washroom on Platform 3.