Blog
I'm sure that some of your carefully laid plans for the last week were disrupted by the sudden re-implementation of load-shedding. It's always frustrating, but sometimes these enforced "Eskom sabbaths" bring unexpected gifts. This last Wednesday, the load-shedding schedule managed to take out both sessions of our Lent course with incredible precision! So, in the office, we spent two hours that morning working with ancient technology (pens and paper) - Laura and Valda took the chance to work through and update our membership list, and I made more progress on a sermon with pen in hand than I normally would in front of a PC with all its email and internet distractions
It’s been a busy week! On Tuesday night we were together for pancakes, with everyone chipping in and helping with food, set-up and cleaning up. It was such a happy evening with plenty of laughter and re-connecting – well done to all involved!
Last Sunday we thought about the power of names and the way that God renamed several key characters in the Bible to reflect something about their new identity. The names of those key figures – Abraham, Sarah, Israel, Peter – would always remind them of who they were.
Last Sunday was our annual covenant service and, although we may think of this service mostly in terms of our recommitting ourselves to God, we were reminded that grace always come first. It is God who takes the initiative and comes to us first, seeking relationship, long before we take any steps towards God.
Our Exec met this week and I’d love to share some of the key decisions we made and feedback we received: 1. We are excited to let you know that our 07h30 service will be starting again from Sunday 6 March.
On Sunday we read the story of Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10 and reflected on how this was a kind of conversion for Peter – a dramatic shift in his thinking, feeling and doing as a result of God calling him to cross boundaries and reach out to a Gentile family. We recognised that we too are called to cross boundaries in this way, just as Jesus first did for us.
We spoke last Sunday about the incredible power of small groups in the church as a means of sustaining, encouraging and equipping each of us. The lessons from the early church and the Great Awakening of the 1700’s are that small groups where we can be real, find support and share life together, are critical if we want to go the distance in our faith journey. A number of our groups are restarting at the moment. You can contact Felicity Cory or the office if you’d like to join a group
In our service last Sunday we reflected on the story of Gideon – that frightened young man who described himself as the weakest member of his family in the smallest clan in his tribe. He thought he was powerless, but God called him a mighty warrior and used him to rescue Israel from their enemies. God is still in the business of turning Gideons into mighty warriors today, and one of the safest places to take the risk of trusting God as he works through us is in the local church.
Last Sunday evening our 18h30 congregation met to worship together for the first time in over a year. My lasting memory of that service will always be the palpable sense of joy as people were reunited after such a long time apart. There is also something very powerful that we experience when we return to a beloved physical space after a long time away – like coming back to the place where you grew up, or in this instance, returning to the sanctuary where we have encountered God again and again over the years.
Last Sunday we read the story of the Magi’s journey to visit Jesus as a baby – a passage that is traditionally associated with the Feast of Epiphany (which takes place on 6 January every year, at the end of the twelve days of Christmas). In preparing for the service, I came across an ancient Christian practice linked to this day known as “chalking the door”.