Not the end
We have been exploring together these past couple of months What type of Church God is calling us to be – that we may better understand our calling and share it with those we serve in mission in the parish and beyond. And tomorrow in Church we reach the last topic, that of our calling to be a Creative church (more of which in a minute…)
To place things in context this , as per the quote from Winston Churchill, is not the end, or even the beginning of the end, but rather perhaps the end of the beginning. We have begun following Guy’s piece of exploratory listening to the church and community, and our sermon series to explore some different possibilities about our calling as a church. By committing a series of areas to God and to what he reveals about them in the scriptures to us, we have begun afresh to listen to our specific calling and vocation.
What comes next? Well come September when the holiday season has passed, we will pick up some of the themes at our Church away day on September 19th and in our services, and we will be asking all members of our congregation to start to contribute some specific answers to some questions designed to help us explore together what God wants of us. Again, before any body says isn’t that your job as the Vicar to ‘lead’ us and show us the way, this is rooted in the idea that we listen to God best together. Yes my role is to help get the questions right and to discern with the leadership of the church what we do with the results of the questions, but i genuinely, passionately and biblically believe that we listen to God together, that you have as much if not more possibility of being the person God gives that unique and creative idea to guide our future.
So please do continue to pray, as you do, throughout the summer, and if you have any further ideas or questions about what kind of church God is calling us to be, do stick them on the ‘Hot Dog stand’ in church.
The last in our current series tomorrow explores God’s calling on us to be a Creative Church. God is a creator God and we made in his image are all creators too – that said, how does God want us to be creative? How do we deal emotionally with being creative, after all sometimes that means making, doing or trying something new, and we all know how much we love change! I don’t have all the answers for you, but I hope I can give something of a biblical landscape about our Creator God and the creativity he asks of us.
Advance notice that I will be on holiday and then retreat and a CPD week this month and i am very thankful that we have such wonderful retired clergy, Guy, Richard and Paul who will be taking the next three Sunday services for us. Thank you for your prayers in advance and see you tomorrow and then later in the month. There will be no reflections and updates while I am away but I will do a short holding update for each Saturday to advertise and trail the coming Sunday service. The Mid week communion services will be continuing through August on the usual pattern.
Peace and Blessing Andy
Brislington Community News 