Words from Bede Circuit
Dad how am I going to now measure all my ingredients? I’ve just dropped the scales on the floor, and they have cracked. Bethany my daughter shouted this to me as she was baking in the kitchen the other week.
Well, you will just have to guess and see what happens.
Dad you can’t do that, you just do not understand, you can’t just guess when you bake or else it goes wrong.
Bethany, what’s the worst that can happen? Maybe it will not just taste the same or look the same that’s all, you will just have to take a risk go for it and see what happens.
An hour later….
Dad they taste and look ok!
Phew! I was gearing up for the 10-year-old Mary Berry of our house to be less than impressed by me telling her to take a risk and get on with it.
I wonder if you have ever had to just take a risk and go for it?
Eddie ‘the eagle’ Edwards was a British ski jumper who took part in the 1998 Winter Olympics. In his autobiography Eddie speaks of how he knew that he was not as good as all the other jumpers in the competition, yet he did his best and followed his dream to be an Olympic ski jumper. Eddie also spoke of when he started to compete, he just shut his eyes, set off down the runway and hoped for the best as he took off from the end of the jump!
Often the thinking about things is worse than how they turn out in the end.
Many times, in the bible we see people taking a risk to step out in faith, to follow a call or to be counter cultural to the times in which they live.
As Christian people, I believe that God calls us to be holy risk takers, to try new things to step out in faith and to follow the call of God on our lives as individuals and as collective worshipping communities.
The problem is that often the ingredients with which we are used to working with become familiar and they are what we know feels comfortable for us. This is natural and it is totally understandable to work in this way.
However, I also believe that God calls us to pack away the scales, to try new ingredients, to allow God to sprinkle the holy spirit into our lives, our churches, and our worship, and to see what happens when we step out in faith and follow the call of God upon our lives both collectively and individually.
I once heard it said that if you want to walk on water, you can’t just stay in the boat, as first you must step out and get your feet wet!
I pray that each of us will allow God to call us into a deeper relationship with him, so that when God calls us onto the water we will follow him, trusting in Gods promises both for his church and for us as his people.
During the summer we will continue to meet in prayer on Wednesday mornings at 10.00am.
For more information, please contact your pastoral visitor or minister.
With good wishes and prayers
Revd Matt Sheard on behalf of the Bede Circuit staff team.