Our greatest need.

If our greatest need was for information,
God would have sent an educator.
If our greatest need was for technology,
God would have sent a scientist.
If our greatest need was for pleasure,
God would have sent an entertainer.
If our greatest need was for money,
God would have sent an economist.
But since our greatest need was for forgiveness,
God sent a saviour.

I came across this today. I liked the image of God, looking at us and noticing that what we needed was not someone to come and teach us how to do things properly, but someone to come and forgive us for ever for the things we get wrong.

Advent reflection

I came across this again as I started to do some advent reading and was reminded of what this time of year should be about - discovering Christ in those we meet and reflecting Christ to those we meet.

Advent should admonish us to discover
In each brother or sister that we greet,
In each friend whose hand we shake,
In each beggar who asks for bread,
In each worker who wants to use the right to join a union,
In each peasant who looks for work in the coffee groves,
The face of Christ.

Then it would not be possible to rob them,
To cheat them,
To deny them their rights.

They are Christ,
And whatever is done to them
Christ will take as done to himself.

This is what Advent is:
Christ living among us.

Oscar Romer (1917-80)

Rave on!

What a treat it was this morning to be lead in worship by our young people. Their energy, confidence and enthusiasm for the task was very catching and I like many others I'm sure, felt very uplifted by their efforts. I can also imagine that God was on the edge of his throne smiling down on them whilst the angels joined the dance!
I'll look forward to more of the same in he new year.

In the middle!

I was reminded on Sunday as Dave was talking about where is God that Anna in Mister God this is Anna also discovered that mister God was 'in the middle' of everything, people, flowers, worms and even tram cars! I thought Dave was excellent at reminding us that where ever we go we take God's holy spirit with us. I for one forget this too easily at times and allow the pressures of work to squeeze the holy spirit into such a small place that I can discount it. I am trying this week to tell myself that God is with me and that what ever happens he's in my middle. It does help when things get a bit stressful and not going quite to plan but then something else usually changes and everything seems a bit brighter again.
Anna also said that not only is God in our middle but we are in His - a crowded but comforting place to be!

Seeking the Way

I am still labouring over the old 'How can I tell if what I am doing is what God wants me to be doing?' question. I suspect it is probably one of those questions that never goes away fully, but it is quite irritating at the moment.
To try and go somewhere new with it, I have signed up for a 'Seeking the Way' course with the local diocese that is all to do with discovering what my person mission might be - trying to formulate it into a sentence, that on completion of the exercises should make it a little clearer to some parts of me what other parts of me have known all along! It is based on a book called 'The Path' by Laurie Beth Jones. The first exercise I nearly dismissed as completely stupid, but when I completed it I thought it less so. So it is quite an interesting process...

...The passage in Acts 6 that I read on Sunday interested me from thinking along those lines.

Anyway, I recommend the book.

Mr God this is Anna

"Some people lay claim to fame by being the first person to sail around the world alone, or to stand on the moon, or by some other act of bravery. ... I too have a claim to fame; for I knew Anna" so said Fynn at the begining of the book Mr God this is Anna

Anita reminded us of, or introduced us for the first time, to this book today. What are your thoughts either from what you heard this morning or from having read the book before, what are your favourite bits. Please take a few moments to add a comment.



If you want to read Anita's notes from the talk click here

When I in awesome wonder...

Don't go out looking for something just see what crosses your path.
The power point below can be used as a meditation to focus on the beauty and wonder of God's creation remembering that we are not observers but an integral part of it.