St Alfred's Contact post 21 October

Dear St Alfred's family

Often we hear that people are 'busy' or 'tired' or 'stressed'.  The same is true whether you're managing a household and children, in paid full-time work, or a member of the church staff team.  There are seasons of harder work, and seasons of rest.  So Peter is on holidays this week and I'm going on Saturday for my first 'away-from-home' break in 3 years!  (That's what doing doctoral research might do to you...)  I'm trying to repent of my sins! 

Maybe part of the reason I'm bad at holidays is because I have the great privilege of being paid to do something I love and am passionate about: telling people about Jesus and helping them grow in faith, hope and love. So what does a typical week look like for me?  Since Monday, I've:

- run a staff meeting 

- met separately with four great young adult leaders: two for mentoring, one for programme review, and one for discussion of a future Daniel sermon

- written three references of various sorts 

- read and thought more about Luke 15 in preparation for our evangelistic service on 31 Oct

- led our Wednesday morning communion service

- met with three different persons in a pastoral capacity at church

- paid a pastoral visit to a grieving family 

- lunched with a old friend struggling with a spiritual issue

- met with other staff members to catch up on pastoral care and teaching programme matters

- and numerous other phone calls, emails and other bits of work!

Today, I'm writing this email and helping Heather with Contact.  Soon I have to be off to Ridley where I might catch up over lunch with some of our young adults who are studying there today, before teaching my class in the afternoon.  

Who says ministry only happens on Sundays?! 

But ministry also isn't only what I do, or only what paid staff do.  My most important ministry happens whenever I get home.  Typically, as our automatic garage door rolls up and my car rolls in, the door to the house swings open and through the wound-up car windows I hear Alexandra crying out, 'Daddy's home!'  The energy each of us reserves for relationships - especially those closest to us, whether at home or at work or in our other contexts - is perhaps the most significant ministry we can be involved in. 

1 Peter 2:12 says, 'Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us'.  

'Good lives' and 'good deeds' include the quality of our relationships - their integrity, love, faithfulness, hope, joy, gentleness, kindness and peaceableness.  God's Word is saying to us that these can have a direct impact on the pagan world, our Christian witness.  After all, if our lives are as chaotic, busy, stressed, 'no time for relationships', and devoid of eternal hope as everyone else's, then why would anyone bother with Jesus?  Our lives, the church's life and relationships must reflect the goodness and grace of the God.  How else are we to be salt and light? 

Well, this is a tremendous challenge to me, but thanks be to our gracious Lord Jesus!  God promises us wisdom for life and ministry, as we pray for it; and also the power to change by his Holy Spirit.  

  

Looking forward to seeing you again soon.