Dear Friends,
This Sunday marks the annual Golf Service in Holy Trinity, and we are delighted to welcome the Rev Alistair Bennett as our guest preacher there, together with those golfers who are able to worship with us. Of course, because of the restriction on numbers and the social distancing still in place, and the fact that we have not been able to re-form the choir yet, the service will be a little different from usual, but I am grateful to all those who will be taking part in our worship.
Of course, so many things in life at the moment are a little different from usual, and for those who have to organise them, a lot more complicated than they might have been. So now is the time to re-assess what is really important to us as a fellowship of God’s people, and what is not. And I would want to suggest that at the top of the list of priorities should be our corporate worship. So many people have told me how much they have missed coming together for worship, and how much they have missed the atmosphere and the encouragement that worshipping God together creates.
But it is also important to remember that the good news of the gospel is for all people, and there are many who simply cannot come to worship together for health reasons. It is therefore equally important that they should feel included, so it is great to be able to send out our services on Facebook and YouTube and by email. It should be possible for all people to feel enfolded in the circle of God’s love, and as the body of Christ this is what we are all called to do. Throughout my ministry I have always felt that the core tasks of the minister are to preach the gospel and to love the people, just as they are for all of us. One does not have to stand in a pulpit to preach the gospel, for we all preach it by the way we live.
Of course, we all like other aspects of what it means to be church, but these, I think, should be the priorities. So let us go forward in faith with a real vision of our church as a centre for corporate worship, and as place where all people can feel loved and valued and inspired by the love of God in Christ Jesus for all people.
With love and blessings,
Marion
Categories: Minister's Blog