to know, grow and show the love of God
Here are the February 2020 Bible readings which we’ll be using in church as the season of Epiphany moves into Lent.
This month we leap from the Presentation in the Temple to the Transfiguration, encountering soap, salt and bushels along the way… all in a few weeks.
This is challenging stuff.
It is clear that ticking-over is not an option. To achieve the Vision we do need to change gear from just maintaining what we have and to move into mission mode.
That means that as church we need to do more than turn up for worship on a Sunday. It means, among other things, telling people outside of here about God’s love; it means finding opportunities to recruit new Christians and to help them grow in the faith – and it means doing our bit to change the world!
Moses was 80 years old. He’d been tending someone else’s flock for 40 years.
One day, he was out with the sheep, probably thinking about his pension plan, when he took a different path – and from there he saw a bush that was burning. His life completely changed direction…
But how long was that bush burning for, waiting to be noticed? How many other signs had Moses missed along the way, along the years?
Old Trafford has a number of places of worship. Our banns were heard at St Hilda’s, Old Trafford. But far and away the largest place of worship has thousands of adherents.
Every Saturday, or thereabouts, they gather to chant devotion to their god. At times they will invite the leader of the worship, dressed in black, to improve his eyesight. They cheer whenever the team in red puts the ball into the net.
Yes, football’s god is alive and well in Old Trafford. The fans do go there, they cheer the team, they wear red and they identify, they identify with the team of Manchester United.
It’s often said that history is written by the victors.
But what must it feel like to be defeated in war?
Ashamed, frightened, disorientated, demoralized, physically hurt, mentally traumatized, angry at those who promised that you would be victorious, relieved the fighting is over, struggling to survive, cold, hungry…??
Our next Sunday@Seven service is on Sunday 26th January 2020 at 7pm.
We’ll be meeting in the back room of the hall at Christ Church Walmersley. All are very welcome!
For the first meeting in 2020 our theme is: ‘New heart, new spirit’ which is taken from Ezekiel 18:31.