 | Ian's Message |
Dear friends, I wonder if sometimes the Gospel message gets lost in the day to day running of the Church. In fact, I suspect that all too often we lose sight of the fact that our very existence as a community is all about Jesus. If you were to ask the average person on the street what a Christian is today, it’s likely that you would have to wait a long time in the reply before you hear anything about Jesus or the cross. The Church is the Body of Christ. Collectively we represent Jesus within the community we serve. Our message, from beginning to end, is Jesus, who He was, what He said and what He did. Our mission is to share that person with the world. In our relationship with God, through Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, we see the working out of the divine plan for the restoration of peace and justice and the reconciliation of God with human-kind. As we prepare to celebrate another Easter, we remind ourselves of the purpose of the cross; that because of Christ’s death we may find life in all its fullness. Jesus came to save us, unite us and teach us to love one another. Over time, the church has added a lot of other stuff to this and I’m not so sure it’s helping us do what were supposed to be doing. If it’s not about Jesus and making His hope for the world known to others, then there’s something wrong. If we are not striving first and foremost to see a transformation in our community, in our city, in the nation and across the world, then we’ve lost the plot. My prayer is that as we sing our Easter carols this year, we would do so in spirit and in truth, seeking for our lives to display more of the risen Christ and offering ourselves afresh to be used by Him for the bringing about of His Kingdom. May we strive to follow the example of St Paul and resolve to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Every blessing, Ian |