Ministers Desk 17th February

Last Wednesday is known in the Christian calendar as Ash Wednesday.  It marks the beginning of the Christian season of Lent.  During the six weeks of Lent Christ followers take the opportunity to prepare themselves for Easter, the most significant event in the Christian year.  Preparation involves prayer, bible reading, worship and self-denial.  In previous years we have been encouraged to fast from something.  Coffee, tea, chocolate, TV, social media and newspapers have been common items that people have abstained from as they enter into the sacrifice of Jesus on the way to the cross.

 

This year I am asking us to give a sacrifice of spare time. 

 

Although we each have the same amount of time available to us, many of us find that spare time is a commodity that is very rare.  To be asked to sacrifice spare time is to deny ourselves the leisure time and personal pursuits that we could otherwise be doing during that that time.  In place of this spare time I am asking us to join with a small group of people and participate in an act of service that reaches out to our community.  By doing this we will be giving our community a gift of God’s love through service.

 

Explore and Engage Groups are asked to work together.  If you’re not in a group, you can get together with others to form a serving team.  Think about inviting your Brian (pre-Christian friend you’re sharing faith with) to be part of your serving team.

 

The tasks is reaching out and serving the community.  You might want to join an existing organisation and work alongside them, you might know of a project that needs to be completed, you might want to offer assistance to a neighbour.  The project needs to be of a limited duration; most groups will be looking at a couple of hours, maybe up to half a day.

 

Last week as we looked at Psalm 23:2 I encouraged you to swap your busyness for God’s peace.  When we become less busy and have a grace filled rhythm to life, we have space and capacity to add something like this into our schedules.  Our life should be such that we always have room to add in an unexpected, manageable project on a once off basis. 

 

I’m excited about this opportunity.  Serving others is exciting, it gives the server the chance to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.  It blesses the recipient with an expression of God’s unconditional love.  More information about this can be found on our website or on the information desk.  Please participate in this discipline of self-denial as you prepare yourself to celebrate again the death and resurrection of our saviour. 

 

“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”  (Luke 9:23)