Rebuilding the Ancient Ruins

Isaiah 58:12
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
    Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

I find that old church ruins in England are beautiful. And yet I'm often sad when I walk through them (like the churches destroyed during the dissolution of the monasteries) because I'm reminded that they were once places where God was worshipped. When we hear news from the 2021 census that fewer people are identifying as Christian, it's easy to wonder how many more churches will come to ruin in the coming years. But there is every reason to be encouraged because God loves his church in England and will restore the foundations and broken walls of his church that he loves.

This Sunday we will look at the results of the census and explore how we should respond to the news. You're welcome to read some of the relevant resources ahead of time:

• Religion, England and Wales: Census 2021

• Talking Jesus Report: What people know and believe about Jesus in the UK.

• Nones: Who are they and what do they believe

You can listen to this weeks talk here:

https://soundcloud.com/user-779559513/11th-december-22