Time to Celebrate

We had a wonderful time of celebration today as we marked the Centenary of our church community. It is the first time I have been part of a Centenary as a minister and I found it to be a beautiful moment. One of the great delights was getting together with so many people from our community to worship God and to fellowship with one another. Having the worship service outside was a risk, but the weather was almost perfect. We felt truly fortunate and blessed for this great gift. 

This has been the first time in nearly 2 years we have been able to get the whole community together and the sense of relief and joy in the celebration was tangible. I think that this is something every community has missed during Covid and something we need to make space for in the future. I think this is what kept the Israelites focussed despite their tough circumstances - they were able to get together to honour God, to feast together and to laugh and sing. 

Moses answered, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, and with our flocks and herds, because we are to celebrate a festival to the Lord.” - Exodus 10:9

Luke 15:24 - For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

How are you able to Celebrate with your family, friends and Church community?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Finding your way in the dark

 

Finding you way in the dark is not an easy exercise. 

When the lights go out due to unexpected power failures, load-shedding, or no money in the meter, then you have to resort to stumbling around in the dark. Of course the better you know your home, the easier it is to work out where you are and to make a plan. This reminds me of a lovely quote:

Alexander Maclaren, the 19th Century Scottich preacher said that, "Those who know the path to God, can find it in the dark."

When our lives are filled with sudden darkness, let us not lose hope but rather find our way back to the heart of God. Walk the well trodden path and know that God is still at Home.

Luke 15:20 -  “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming, and was filled with loving pity and ran and embraced him and kissed him."

Living in Grace

D3LM3

The movement is crucial

John Stott – “Jesus saw; he felt; he acted. The movement was from the eye to the heart and from the heart to the hand.”

 I fear that we no longer 'see' each other and so the movement from the eye to the heart seldom happens. And if it does happen, the movement doesn't always continue to the 'hand.' When we read these words from the famous story of the Forgiving Father,  we note this movement:

"So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." - Luke 15: 20

May we be challenged to allow the movement to be visible - from eye to heart - from heart to hand.

Living in Grace

D3LM3