Message from the Rector
Ow sos ger,
On Sunday we were reminded that God often reveals Godself through the very ordinary like yeast found in the kitchen, through bread and fish, the staples of a diet. We were also reminded that whenever the kingdom of heaven is experienced, it can grow from a tiny mustard seed and blossom into a fully grown tree spreading its benefits and blessings far and wide. We were also reminded that God doesn’t choose to do everything on His own but chooses to include us in His mission thus demonstrating to the world - people, animals, environments—that all are loved.
We are all part of God’s wonderful creation and have our own special unique space within it. We also have our own special responsibilities to own and to exercise. In the Church we call this discipleship. We are learning to love in the way that God loves - see 1 Corinthians 13. It takes practice, which is why we can call it a discipline, and it demands sacrifice, which is why we can also call it a virtue.
One ancient way of referring to disciples was as ‘little Christs’. A quaint expression I am sure you’ll agree. For me it captures the essence of a life being open to Christ, allowing Christ to influence and challenge us to love more generously and confidently. It is a little like when children are asked who they want to be when they grow up? They answer by naming someone famous through sports or music etc. We come to church wanting to grow and mature into the likeness of Christ. There is something about Christ that we have decided -probably many moons ago -that we would like to follow, emulate and prioritise in our own lives and perhaps even aspire towards.
Yesterday I was told the story of how when one was younger the school they attended offered its students the opportunity to serve or to sing. Everyone was expected to participate and contribute to the worship services. Of course, there was an expectation that what was learned through church would be taken into the rest of the school and family life. This is about taking responsibility for our own learning and implementing it into our own contexts.
It’s a little like learning to read: we learn that squiggles seen all around us represent words, and soon we start to see that these squiggles share common traits, so we learn that words are made up of letters… When we recognise these we learn to apply the letters to make up our own words and stories… This is similar to what we do as disciples: we learn the basics or the principles, and then we take responsibility to apply our learning into the different areas of our lives. This is where a rhythm or rule of life helps me. I have already made the decision to follow the way of Christ, and the framework I use called a rhythm or rule helps to identify key areas toward which I really want to focus my responsibilities. For example, as a disciple I have committed to following the way of Christ, therefore, I have a responsibility to share that passion with others regardless of the role I inhabit.
As we continue thinking about our experience of being Kingdom Citizens perhaps there is an area that is calling out to you at this time? Perhaps you would like to take on a new role? There are opportunities in all our churches to serve and to sing! Do speak with a church warden or with myself if you would like to take this further.
Gras ha kres,
Caroline
PLEASE NOTE: VISION DAY is 10th OCTOBER (my apologies for wrong date last week)
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