Minister's Blog
- Embrace the Middle East
about 3 weeks ago - God calls everyone
2 months ago - Trip to Israel
6 months ago - Spiritual accompaniment
7 months ago - The mountains are calling
10 months ago
Don’t panic!
When I’m working away at home, I usually stop for lunch at 1pm so I can catch up on the BBC News (other news programmes are available!). However, watching the news recently has felt a bit like watching a horror movie. Every time I switch it on, it feels as if the predictions of doom just keep getting worse and worse – especially gas and electricity prices that are spiralling ever higher by the day. By focussing so heavily on the negative news, it all contributes towards a general feeling of panic and anxiety about the future. It’s a bit like Lance Corporal Jones from Dad’s Army shouting his famous catchphrase, “Don’t panic!”, while all the time running around like a headless chicken!
In the midst of all this, I’m feeling increasingly challenged that we as a church need to be stepping up and making a difference in our communities – especially for those people who are struggling the most. At the moment we’re working through 1 Corinthians, and the other week we read these words: “for the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power” (1 Corinthians 4:20). Elsewhere in the New Testament, we read these powerful words written by James: “religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this – to look after orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27). In other words, to care for the most vulnerable and needy people in our communities, not just talking or discussing about how we should help them but actually diving in and getting our hands dirty.
We already do make a difference in a number of ways, and we have lots of people who help with the Foodbank and other social action projects. But we also have an amazing amount of resource in our buildings and our people and our financial assets that we can use to make even more of a difference. I’m beginning to think about what that might look like over the difficult months ahead, and I want to encourage you to think also. I want us to be a church that encourages people to have ideas and then to run with them, so that we can respond to the local need where we see it. Too often we talk a good game, but the Kingdom of God is ultimately found in power and in action that changes the lives of people for the better. Please do come and speak to myself or the Church leaders if you have an idea for something that can make a practical difference for the most needy of our neighbours during these difficult times.