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Connected to Christ
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
Ow sos ger,
Having taken a bit of time away from the office over Christmas, I found myself rejoicing in the goodness of God. I am truly thankful for His bringing me here, I feel that I have been obedient to that sense of call, there was a cost to me personally, in leaving behind the community that has been shaping my faith and encouraging me in discipleship over the past several years. But it is with joy that I look forward to forming and forging those relationships with people and places across the Upper Fal Parishes. Indeed, that process has already begun as we have started to get to know each other.
God is so constant and reliable and yet God will also surprise us from time to time. One such delight was having some prophetic words spoken to me which have been echoed several times and by different people. These words were from Jeremiah 6v16.
This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
The verse goes on to say “But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.” Each person that carried this message to me expressively said this last part wasn’t part of the message at this time. But I think there is something that I, and perhaps you, might need to be mindful of. There are scenario’s that I struggle with, it’s the way in which my life experience, my confidence, my trust in God all come together and either help me to overcome the trial or tribulation or to run a mile! One of those areas has been the recommendation that as a Christian leader I should have a ‘rule of life’. This has always tapped into my fear of getting things wrong -if there’s a rule about it, I feel that I will always be challenging or breaking the rule so I would rather run a mile!
But through time I have learnt to develop a rhythm of life which then supports me through public ministry but also in my private life too. This is not something that is only suggested for ordained clergy but for all Christians. And this is something I have been learning about as I look to the ancient paths.
My searching has led me to discover that God has also called others to search for the ancient paths. And as this is a prophetic word that has been repeated across the Upper Fal Parishes, I am sharing it with you all. As part of my reading I have been exploring the Monastic practices of old -don’t worry I’m not going to ask you to get up and pray at 2am each day...unless of course, God wakes you and you feel a burden on your heart to do so!
Monasteries typically are arranged around sacred spaces, they accommodate all of life and allow for individuals to experience the proximity of God in each place, each relationship, and in each time. For my inspiration in sharing this with you, I am leaning into George Lings and his book called Seven Sacred Spaces. Please do chat with me over the next few months as I hope that together we will search out those ancient ways and wonder how they might fit with our lives today.
Gras ha kres,
Caroline
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