Sp
urred on by dissatisfaction a small group of like-minded pilgrims met together on Saturday afternoon to explore what God might be calling us to.
We recognise that for many folk in our community that church is irrelevant and boring, yet those same people profess to believe in God, and admit to praying Time then for a Fresh Expression.
We prayed together, ate together and watched the Fresh Expressions DVD.
Then we talked and talked, Tim and I had set up the meeting (yes a meeting well we are Methodists!!!)...we a few limited ideas constrained by realism, or so we thought...we could do this or that but not too much, when Ruth broke in and encouraged all of us to DREAM BIG! Ruth is an amazing lady with an amazing story, she resisted Gods call to preach for many years, until she ended up in a wheel chair she could resist no longer. Her faith is strong and her mind is quick, only her body is frail.
So we are going to dream big, we are going to consider how to spur one another on, we are going to pray for one another, we are going to seek God together. We are going to go to our community and listen... when we have listened we will as questions, and we will listen again to what is being said.
Too often we seek as a church to answer the questions that nobody is asking.
Several of us got little sleep on Saturday night as we dared to dream big, as we sought God for His vision....I found that I had nothing to say for the Sunday Service except for a heart cry for reconnection...and with encouragement from several from RevGals that is what I preached.
Isaiah 43:18-19 (GW)
Forget what happened in the past,
and do not dwell on events from long ago.
[19] I am going to do something new.
It is already happening. Don't you recognise it?
I will clear a way in the desert.
I will make rivers on dry land.
We want to be present to catch the new thing, but we also want to be rooted, Joan gave a beautiful picture from a gardening programme she had watched; it concerned a Rosemary shrub, the main plant seemed almost dead, but the tips were still green, the gardener showed that to rescue the plant the whole of the dead part needed to be buried, left with the tips only showing above the soil the plant would draw nourishment and put out new roots and grow. We are pondering this as we consider what it might mean to give ourselves over to death before we see new life and growth. We acknowledge that the way may be painful and challenging, but we are committed to the journey and to one another and most importantly to be disciples of Jesus in 21st century. We recognise that we are not alone for around the world many are setting out on such a journey. Daring once again to dream big.
|
