Who knows what the future holds?
In terms of our politics and our society, we seem to be living through a time of uncertainty. Our new government proclaims loudly that we will leave the EU on October 31st, "do or die" - but nobody really knows what that might mean. Nor do those who want to resist "no deal", many of whom would prefer a further referendum, have any clear vision of what would happen if they had their way. I seem to have spent several lifetimes listening to well-qualified political commentators outlining what might or might not happen - but in the end it always seems to come down to "We don't know".
We want to know, of course, and not knowing makes us anxious. And if we believe in God, we may expect some kind of divine clarification, so that we know what's coming.
But - perhaps - faith is actually about not knowing the future, while trusting that God will be with us, however it pans out. This is true as much for the big events which haunt the headlines, as for the unknown futures of our personal and family lives.
"It will be all right, won't it?" is the anxious question that lies behind our wish to know what lies ahead. Part of our job as Christians is to meet this anxiety - in ourselves and others - not with bland assurances that nothing will ever go wrong, but with a deep-rooted faith that the only sure thing about the future is God's loving presence with us.