There’s a scene in The Twits, that rather cruel but funny Roald Dahl story, where an entire room gets turned upside down. The pet monkeys want to get their own back on their nasty owners so they superglue their furniture to the ceiling.

The Church of England has, to me at least, felt a bit like that this recently. Safeguarding scandals continue to surface, leading to deep emotions for many of us: shame and fury at appalling behaviour and ignorance; sorrow and admiration for survivors; confusion about the future.

The Church should, surely, be the one place in a turbulent, troubled world where safety is an absolute given. Instead, it has continually proven its inability to keep people safe, and to act when we know them to be unsafe. Into my bleakness swam words from the Gospel of Matthew:

“I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”

My mood turned upside-down. Basic, brilliant acts of compassion: this is the Church I recognise. The Christian calling is to love: to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, care for the sick.

In thousands of churches, across our country, that is exactly what happens, day in, day out. Attendance rises and falls; leaders come and go; but still – we love.

What would someone see of the CoE, if they moved to Tilford? A small, dedicated band collecting hygiene products, partnering with schools and community groups, caring for the unwell, praying for the departed.

What would they see of the Church, if they moved to England from an alien planet? Division, in-fighting, navel-gazing, pompous sentiment. Would you join that? I’m not sure I would.

And so, I think, it’s the moment for us to be as truly upside-down as the Twits’ living-room, but in a new way.

It is time for the national Church to emulate the local. It is time for us to become, once again, a Church full of and overflowing with simple, stupendous love. It is time to turn ourselves upside-down.