Are you afraid to use the F word?

Are you looking for the perfect church? Well, I've got news for you. It doesn't exist, at least not this side of heaven. If you think you have found the "perfect" one then perhaps none of us, not even you, better join because it will then cease to be perfect.

The church is the body of Christ here on earth - Yes!
The church is the people of God together worshipping and serving Him - Yes!
The church is full of people trying and sometimes failing to be like Jesus - Yes!

Did you react to the F word? As Christians we don't like to admit that we fail and yet of all the places in this world, the church should be the place where we can fail, learn, move on and try again. The place where we can fall flat on our faces either literally or metaphorically and there will be others there to pick us up, dust us off and help us to get going again.

The church is not the building or what we do when we gather together; the church is the hands, feet, heart and love of Jesus in this world. There is a song that was very popular in one of my previous churches which I think sums up well what I am trying to say:

Brother, sister let me serve you,
Let me be as Christ to you;
Pray that I might have the grace
To let you be my servant too.
We are pilgrims on a journey
We are travellers on the road
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and bear the load.

Yet we do not walk alone. The church, which is made up of those who love Jesus and try to be his disciples, is given the Holy Spirit to amongst other things lead, guide, comfort and strengthen us. Living life as a disciple of Jesus is full of high points and low points but we are never alone. No, we are not perfect and yet we are! Listen to what Paul says to the Church in Corinth "To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours" (1Cor 1:2) All who call on the name of Jesus are sanctified (made holy) through Jesus! Let's not forget that but instead give thanks for it!

God called loosers to be his people and through Christ he has made them holy! The F word should not be a "No, no!" in our churches, the F word should be a "love and go!" word because of the one we know.

"We've got to watch the river to check that it doesn't stop"

Do you remember the song from the film "Snow white and the seven dwarfs"? It goes something like this:  We're busy going nowhere, working the whole day through, trying to find lots of things not to do...we've got to watch the river, to check that it doesn't stop... and on the song goes. There is something very easy about being busy. If I am busy I do not have to meet myself, look at myself. I don't have to think because I am too busy. Not only am I too busy but I am so very busy going about God's work!

It is important to stop, to make space and find time to be still. In our busy world many people have discoverd the value of being still and being quiet. They have built meditation into their lives as a way of finding the quiet and stillness that every human needs to stay healthy. As people we need to just be quiet, be still. This is not news for Christians, God said thousands of years ago in the psalms "be still and know that I am God" (46.10). In being still Christians do not only meditate on ourselves in an inward looking self-centred way but we can find God there, as He always is, waiting for us to come to him, waiting.

When we take time to be quiet with God it is easier to hear what he is saying to us. We can meditate in silence or we can meditate on a verse or passage from the bible or we can meditate with worship music. Meditation with music is sometimes called soaking which is a great description really, we soak ourselves in the presence and worship of God.

To my mind, meditating in the presence of God, being open to Him and listening, has to be superior to meditating on ourselves or on emptyness. There are so many things that make us busy but are not really important and they crowd out the really important things like time to be still and soak in the presence of God. The bible tells us that when we come to Him we will find refreshment so why is it so difficult to come. There is so much in favour of it but it takes a real act of will to lay aside the things that demand our attention. Sometimes I need help to lay down the immediate in favour of the important and sometimes I just need a good "shove" to get on with it!

Being and doing!

Happy new year!

A friend and church member sent me a message this morning with a link to Rick Warren's pastor blog. Rick raises 10 points that are good for church leaders to remember but I think they are good for all Christians to remember and so here is the link to his site:
http://blog.pastors.com/blogs/pcom/ten-key-points-to-remember-in-2012/

We are running a marathon and not a sprint. At new year we look back at what has been in 2011 as well as looking forward to what is to come in 2012 and beyond. That seems like a long time but by God's timescale it is nothing more than a moment, He has the perspective of eternity! It is easy to look at others and compare ourselves to them even though we are all unike and made for different things.

Have you made a new years resolution? I have and I want to share it with you, not to be pious but because I know I will struggle to make progress in it, I want to aim to be what God has called me to be that way I am sure I will accomplish what God has called me to do.

I wish you a blessed and God-centred new year being and doing for Him!