The Bishop of Penrith encourages people to find joy in God, be patient in affliction and be faithful in prayer in a New Year’s message filmed as we entered a third national lockdown.

The Rt Rev Dr Emma Ineson delivers her message from Kendal Castle and reflects on the need for people to pray for those who have COVID, our health professionals, teachers, communities, businesses and leaders.

Bishop Emma draws on a passage from Romans 12:12 as the basis for her message: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

She explains: “That’s not a bad set of new year’s resolutions! Be joyful. That’s very different from being happy. We are, of course, not at all happy with the way things are at the moment, and we may need to express our grief, our frustration or even our anger about that, but we can be still joyful. Joy is very different to happiness. Happiness depends on circumstances, but joy is given to us by God.

“Be patient in affliction…. we must be patient, and perhaps that also means being patient with each other, speaking kindly to each other, particularly maybe to those we most disagree with. And it means being patient with, and kind to ourselves.

“And finally be faithful in prayer. Now that’s something we can all do whatever lockdown we find ourselves in. There are no restrictions on praying. And so I encourage you to join me in praying for our teachers, our school workers, parents home-schooling children. Pray for God’s protection over the physical and mental health of those most struggling at the moment. Pray for our churches, whether worshipping in buildings or online. Pray for our health professionals. Pray for our communities and businesses. Pray for our national leaders. Be faithful in prayer.”

Her message comes just a day after England was once again placed into national lockdown as coronavirus transmission rates continue to spiral. Under the current lockdown churches in the county can remain open for communal worship, though many clergy have decided to close their buildings and offer online services instead. This week the Bishop of Carlisle has also written a message of support and encouragement to all clergy in the Diocese.

To view Bishop Emma’s New Year message for 2021 visit the Diocese of Carlisle’s YouTube channel.

Notes to editors

A full transcript of Bishop Emma’s New Year message for 2021 is attached below.

“Now ordinarily in a message like this I would be smiling and saying in a cheerful voice: “Happy New Year!”

But for many of us this new year doesn’t feel terribly happy - we’ve just been put into another lockdown, and we’re so conscious of the restrictions that that places on all of our individual lives, on the way we worship, on our relationships. And especially for those suffering with Covid at the moment, for their friends, their family and those who care for them in our health system, this new year feels anything but happy.

And 2021 doesn’t even feel very ‘new' either. We were hoping to put 2020 behind us and make a fresh start, but here we are in lockdown again, and what w’de hoped would be new and different seems to be the ‘same old same old’ - just as bad as before, if not worse.

So what to say? What can I wish you, instead of a ‘happy new year’?

Well I’d like to share with you a very short bible verse that I’ve been reflecting on recently, and which I hope might be helpful and encouraging for you too. It’s from Romans 12.12 and it goes like this:

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer”.

That’s not a bad set of new year’s resolutions!

Be joyful. That’s very different from being happy. We are, of course, not at all happy with the way things are at the moment, and we may need to express our grief, our frustration or even our anger about that, but we can be still joyful. Joy is very different to happiness. Happiness depends on circumstances, but joy is given to us by God. So we can be joyful in hope. The new vaccine means that we’re hopeful that the pandemic will come to an end before too long. But above all we hope in God himself and in him we’re joyful.

Be patient in affliction. Patience is one of the things we're all having to learn at the moment. Which of us knew that the pandemic would go on this long? I’m not very good at patience. I want everything to be back to normal tomorrow or preferably today. But we must be patient, and perhaps that also means being patient with each other, speaking kindly to each other, particularly maybe to those we most disagree with. And it means being patient with, and kind to ourselves.

And finally be faithful in prayer. Now that’s something we can all do whatever lockdown we find ourselves in. There are no restrictions on praying. And so I encourage you to join me in praying for our teachers, our school workers, parents home-schooling children. Pray for God’s protection over the physical and mental health of those most struggling at the moment. Pray for our churches, whether worshipping in buildings or online. Pray for our health professionals. Pray for our communities and businesses. Pray for our national leaders. Be faithful in prayer.

And so at the start of this new lockdown - and the start of 2021, I won’t wish you a happy new year, but I will wish you a hopeful, patient and prayerful year.

May God bless you.”

Ends

For further information contact Dave Roberts, Diocesan Communications Manager, on 07469 153658, 01768 807764 or at communications@carlislediocese.org.uk.