Words from Bede Circuit
Dear All,
As we look back over the past month the first verse of hymn 116, Singing the Faith comes to mind.
“Sing for God’s glory that colours the dawn of creation”, the sun has been glorious in these short days that are so often dark, the sunsets even better and last week the ‘wolf moon’ was stunning.
January is almost over and come February we look forward to the first signs of spring flowers, within the church we need to look out for those exciting new shoots and the salient reminder that God is at work within creation, midst the tensions within the country, the world and especially the church. I was leafing through one of Tom Wright’s Commentaries and one paragraph struck me. He is referring to a poster outside a church and the caption read: ‘Everyone wants to serve God- but only in an advisory capacity’. We all know what we want God to do but we are less good at bringing our hopes and intentions into line with God.
The God we worship is a God of surprises but are we ready to be surprised, ready to be jolted out of our comfort zone. This year as we hopefully begin to emerge out of this pandemic let us be open to all that God might be seeking to do, open to new approaches, new ways of doing things, new ways of being ‘church’. Sometimes we feel we lack the energy or the skills ……the list goes on but the same God who calls us also equips us. Let us move on, whatever the future may hold confident that things might change but with God all will be well. He does not need our advice but he does need our hearts, our hands, our feet our intellect in order that his will might be done. For some life feels very sad, there is an understandable sense of bereavement as some churches reluctantly feel it necessary to close the premises to which they have become so attached.
If we appreciate some of the wonders of God’s creation in that great hymn by Kathy Galloway let us recall the second verse, Sing for God’s power that shatters the chain that would bind us…….reaching out gently to find us”. God will find you, wherever you are and he gently holds out his hand and invites us to grasp it.
Circuit morning prayers continue on Wednesday mornings on Zoom, contact the minister for details.
Shalom,
Judith OldroydOn behalf of the Bede Circuit Staff Team