These are our initial thoughts on hearing Sarah Clewers story about the 1605 bell in the Bargate.
curfew bell calls people to safety - pray out a call to safety for the city
the bell is meant to be heard - our prayers will have an effect
a bell is clear - our prayers need to be simple and clear
the watch bell marks the time - in prayer we are declaring the significance of the times we are in
the inscription 'GOD IS MY HOPE' - is a personal declaration for us all, and also Southampton's hope is God.
the bell was rung at times of opposition or danger - we need to know what to do if we encounter opposition/distraction.
Ring out hope to the city. The action of ringing is significant. The bell is not just something that is a historical artefact. There is a purpose of protection and saving.
The bell is to be heard, not just for looking at.
A bell gets people's attention.
Just as it says on the bell, God is my hope, we need to declare that God is Southampton's hope and that will be hope ringing out.
Prayer is like being watchmen for the city.
A wake up call for the church and for those outside.
An alarm calling for things to change.
Calling us back to believe God for good things.
The curfew bell calls people to safety of the city walls. Salvation means safety.
Southampton is a refuge city, for assylum seekers.
It is like Ps 24:7 - calling God into the heart of the city. "Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in."
Calling the church to fulfill its destiny.
The bell is a hidden treasure revealed. It is a time of winter coming into spring - many plants are hard to see in the winter, they are there, but unseen. In the spring they become visible. So now, God is revealing things that have always been there.
Isaiah 45:3 "I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
Hope - links to Love Southampton verses Zechariah 8:4-5 "Old men and old women will come back to Jerusalem, sit on benches on the streets and spin tales, move around safely with their canes—a good city to grow old in. And boys and girls will fill the public parks, laughing and playing—a good city to grow up in.”
The fact that on the day there were 16 people one to ring the bell for each of the 16 wards of the city - this is how God is in the detail of it all. He is also in the detail of the House of Prayer.
It is now 3 years since the story took place, but the timing feels right.
God laid on Sarah's heart what was important and she pursued it. We also need to be persistent and pursue the things he has laid on our hearts.