Where to now?
It feels as though we have been standing on quicksand for the last couple of years with all the turmoil of Presbytery planning. Earlier this summer though, the process changed gear and we were encouraged to turn from thinking about how things were… to how things might be.
Make no mistake, this has not been an easy time for any parish. Congregations the length and breadth of Scotland and beyond, have been challenged to catch God’s vision for a way forward for God’s people in this 21st Century. Many of us have struggled to see where God in Christ is leading and we have felt the pain of changes within our Christian communities which have left some reeling.
Those changes however, are a reminder to us that the God we serve is a living God; continually coming to us in new and unexpected ways which both bring us up short and fire and inspire us as we catch fresh glimpses of what God can do!
The truth is that sometimes it’s only when, like the Psalmist, we walk through dark valleys, that we realise there is someone whose hand is there to gently guides us towards a place where we can celebrate God’s goodness and kindness once more.
That means these restless, uncertain times are exciting! They are exciting because they offer the opportunity for us to move away from habits and practices that have grown weary in promoting the Gospel, to working with God in fresh ways, doing what it is God wants and working to God’s priorities instead of ours.
This is a time for daring to re-imagine God’s plans and vision for our parishes. For this Presbytery. And for this land.
That said… it’s also true that it’s a bit of a scary position to be in. But that’s what happens when you believe in a living God for whom all things are possible.
Now it seems, is the time to follow where God is headed.
So…
Let’s listen for God’s voice. Let’s look for where God is – and let’s join God in the work he has planned.
And let’s do that together.
Let’s pool our resources and together let’s see God’s kingdom come here on earth as it is in heaven.
Comments