WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:16.000 We've got a strategy day, not easy to say, on Saturday morning for the elders and deacons 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:22.199 and women's pastoral team, the pastoral team members from 10 to 12. And we do that a couple 00:00:22.199 --> 00:00:29.879 of times a year. And I've always believed this is not actually a biblical statement. 00:00:29.879 --> 00:00:38.719 I think the principle is absolutely biblical. I've always believed that those who plan for 00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:46.200 nothing usually achieve it. And so I think it's very important in our lives and in our 00:00:46.200 --> 00:00:55.320 churches to be people who are planning and strategizing. We're image bearers of God and 00:00:55.320 --> 00:01:00.439 He's the ultimate planner, isn't he? He's the ultimate strategist from before the foundation 00:01:00.439 --> 00:01:07.799 of the world. He has had a plan, perfect plan and a strategy which is beyond our wildest 00:01:07.799 --> 00:01:15.319 imagination. So as image bearers, we reflect that same kind of strategic planning and thinking, 00:01:15.319 --> 00:01:24.480 not quite obviously on the same level. But I think as when you're full time in ministry 00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:32.439 and as we have been together over this last while, Thomas and John and the team we have 00:01:32.439 --> 00:01:37.280 and also the elders, we do a lot of thinking. I know, sometimes might not look like that, 00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:42.719 but we do a lot of thinking and planning. And prayerfully, we seek to be guided by God's 00:01:42.719 --> 00:01:50.880 word with regard to our priorities and our focus. Working within the context God has 00:01:50.879 --> 00:02:01.759 given us. And I think these times of strategy and planning now probably spend more, you 00:02:01.759 --> 00:02:07.659 know, going over what our DNA is as a church congregation, reviewing it and planning it 00:02:07.659 --> 00:02:14.120 ahead and maybe fine tuning it. And I think when we do so, we do so remembering that God 00:02:14.120 --> 00:02:20.400 is in control, God is sovereign, as I've said, and that's a great thing. But also recognizing 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:27.080 that there often comes times for reflection and renewal. And, you know, I mentioned on 00:02:27.080 --> 00:02:32.759 Sunday, this is one of these times, a new normal we're thinking about moving into whatever 00:02:32.759 --> 00:02:38.439 that looks like in society. And there's, you know, changes for us and changes for others 00:02:38.439 --> 00:02:46.879 who are leaving. And I suppose we think about our priorities again and what that is going 00:02:46.879 --> 00:02:54.439 to look like in practice. And so it's always good to get input from all of you. And it's 00:02:54.439 --> 00:03:01.840 good to talk to your elders, to talk to your pastoral teams, to talk to me, to, you know, 00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:07.479 know a little bit more sometimes about what we're doing, maybe asking questions, asking 00:03:07.479 --> 00:03:13.240 why we do certain things. We're perfectly happy to try and justify it. And I'm sure 00:03:13.240 --> 00:03:23.200 we get lots of things wrong. But we do seek to do what is right. And we're a family together. 00:03:23.200 --> 00:03:31.920 And so we build forward on trust. We also build forward with the benefit of hindsight. 00:03:31.920 --> 00:03:40.080 And we pray for wisdom and strength in our weakness. And as you know, in our vision card, 00:03:40.080 --> 00:03:47.200 our kind of character card that we have, we've got four gospel pillars. We're going to look 00:03:47.200 --> 00:03:52.760 at three of them again on Saturday. But in our vision statement, we've got four gospel 00:03:52.760 --> 00:04:01.320 pillars, which is worship, mission, discipleship and community. And I just want just for a 00:04:01.320 --> 00:04:07.520 few minutes to remind ourselves of them and think about just very, very in a very kind 00:04:07.520 --> 00:04:16.680 of shallow way. But firstly, think about worship very briefly. And Matthew chapter four, and 00:04:16.680 --> 00:04:22.079 verse 10, where Jesus is, so I've plucked up different verses to look at Matthew chapter 00:04:22.079 --> 00:04:29.920 four, 10, where Jesus is being tempted by Satan, where Satan basically tells him to bow down 00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:34.920 and worship. And Jesus said, away from me Satan, for it is written, worship the Lord your God 00:04:34.920 --> 00:04:41.480 and serve him only. And we have the great reminder in Romans 12 as well, isn't it, that 00:04:41.480 --> 00:04:49.520 we're liars are to be living sacrifices. So our worship as a people together, it is broader 00:04:49.520 --> 00:04:54.560 than Sunday, it's broader than the church service. But I do think Sunday should be a 00:04:54.560 --> 00:05:03.520 highlight for us. I think it should be and we pray for it to be inspirational, inspiring, 00:05:03.519 --> 00:05:11.839 motivational, encouraging, challenging, educating, excellent. And it's important for us that 00:05:11.839 --> 00:05:18.319 we seek to do that. That involves you as you pray and listen and participate. And obviously 00:05:18.319 --> 00:05:25.399 it involves us. And I think coming out of pandemic and making a good use of Sunday is 00:05:25.399 --> 00:05:32.919 going to be strategic and important for us and a challenge. As we move back into fellowship 00:05:32.920 --> 00:05:39.000 with one another and what we do on a Sunday and how we use Sunday and how best to use 00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:47.280 it in a busy and in a high octane society that we live in. And worship of course involves 00:05:47.280 --> 00:05:53.960 all our lives as well, it's who we are. We've given our lives to God, not just our Sundays. 00:05:53.960 --> 00:06:02.759 And that new commandment to love one another as he is loved us is an expression of our 00:06:02.759 --> 00:06:07.599 love. And I think sometimes for us it's easy to lose sight of that. It's easy for us to 00:06:07.599 --> 00:06:16.800 make idols to change our focus, to get sidetracked by life and forget what is weighty and forget 00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:22.480 who gets the glory because that's really what worship is, isn't it? I, Katrina and I sat 00:06:22.480 --> 00:06:30.719 last night and went on to Amazon Prime and watched the Alex Ferguson film. So it's basically 00:06:30.720 --> 00:06:36.800 a very personal, obviously for me, who's interested in football, I've found it very 00:06:36.800 --> 00:06:41.960 interesting, a personal look at his life, particularly since he had a brain hemorrhage. 00:06:41.960 --> 00:06:47.560 So it's much more personal than the football side really looks at his life and his upbringing. 00:06:47.560 --> 00:06:56.600 And it's a fantastic film and he's a tremendous individual and he has achieved so much in life. 00:06:56.600 --> 00:07:01.680 But both of us looked at each other at the end and said, this is great and exciting, 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:08.760 but a real sadness too, that he comes to his end of his life. He's afraid of dying, he 00:07:08.760 --> 00:07:17.040 speaks about death and he has no hope without Christ. And there was a real sense of emptiness 00:07:17.040 --> 00:07:24.240 there, if he's not a Christian, which he doesn't appear to be. And the glory that he 00:07:24.240 --> 00:07:35.920 has given, he's received and also he has poured out in the pursuit of his game. It really 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:40.560 was tinged with sadness, but you should watch it. It's a brilliant programme and a brilliant 00:07:40.560 --> 00:07:49.000 cat and much to just marvel at God's gifts and people and the various characteristics 00:07:49.000 --> 00:07:56.079 that we can learn from. So I think worship is very significant and central. And of course, 00:07:56.079 --> 00:08:09.319 so is mission. That's the second of our pillars in our vision statement. And in Acts 17, verse 00:08:09.319 --> 00:08:19.240 29, Paul is a famous evangelistic message in Athens. Paul says, therefore, since we 00:08:19.240 --> 00:08:25.279 are God offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or 00:08:25.279 --> 00:08:29.719 stone, an image made by human design or skill. In the past, God overlooked such ignorance, 00:08:29.719 --> 00:08:34.799 but now he commands all people everywhere to repent for he is set a day when he will 00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:40.079 judge the world with justice by the man he is appointed. He's given a proof of this by 00:08:40.079 --> 00:08:47.839 raising him, rising him from the dead. And that, I think, has to remain or become our 00:08:47.839 --> 00:08:53.559 great motive for mission is that there is a judgment day and we will all stand before 00:08:53.559 --> 00:08:58.959 God on that great judgment day. There's an honesty about our lives that needs to reflect 00:08:58.959 --> 00:09:04.759 that there's an urgency and there's a sacrificial love. What a great challenge it is for a man 00:09:04.759 --> 00:09:12.000 who has mission to love people and to relate to them, to know how they think so that we 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:19.120 can bring the gospel into their thinking. Increasingly, I don't think it's a formula. 00:09:19.120 --> 00:09:30.200 I think it's a wise recognition of sharing Jesus Christ who has transformed our lives 00:09:30.200 --> 00:09:39.520 with, I think it's going to be messy for us because life is messy. We believe in mission, 00:09:39.520 --> 00:09:44.520 we believe in planting churches, we believe in personal mission, sharing our faith and 00:09:44.520 --> 00:09:53.000 also partnership together, obviously with God and with others. And that isn't so much 00:09:53.000 --> 00:10:05.240 about a technique, I think it's just how Jesus is impacting us will enable us to share that 00:10:05.240 --> 00:10:12.200 transformation with others. It takes courage, it takes compassion, it takes conviction. 00:10:12.200 --> 00:10:17.759 And it'll also take rejection because some people will not accept it, of course, but 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:27.439 we'll still keep loving them and we'll still keep praying for them and we'll not aggravate 00:10:27.439 --> 00:10:35.120 them, we'll not harass them, but we'll continue to show the grace of God in our lives and 00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:42.240 mission and how that works out together and individually is very important as we think 00:10:42.240 --> 00:10:48.360 forward. But also the third thing is discipleship, equipping discipleship and that's very much 00:10:48.360 --> 00:10:55.039 important part of our ongoing work. I read there from First Thessalonians and it's a 00:10:55.039 --> 00:11:02.440 great repassage and Paul's really speaking about his work among them which was that he 00:11:02.440 --> 00:11:08.320 made disciples, that's what he did. And I think, I love the phrase that seems to be 00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:15.760 quite trendy just now that we are to be making disciples, we're disciple making disciples 00:11:15.760 --> 00:11:22.560 so that we are disciples and we encourage others to also be disciples. We want to have 00:11:22.560 --> 00:11:30.440 converts who we will then disciple and that is going to be a challenge. Hamish and Anna 00:11:30.440 --> 00:11:34.720 have just had a new baby and it's transformed their lives and we've seen that with Scott 00:11:34.720 --> 00:11:40.000 and Amy in the last week while and lots of others. And what do we notice most about that 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:47.600 is their lives are turned upside down when new life comes into the home and everything 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:54.399 is focused on caring for and nourishing that child and that will be the same if God blesses 00:11:54.399 --> 00:12:01.279 us with converts, making disciples, not just converts but disciples will turn our lives 00:12:01.279 --> 00:12:07.240 and our church upside down. For good though, for good because it will really give us a 00:12:07.240 --> 00:12:16.879 reason for being much more serious about our faith I think sometimes. I very in a very 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:23.199 mischievous and bad way mimicked Thomas on Sunday morning by rolling up my sleeves but 00:12:23.199 --> 00:12:30.000 you know that's exactly what we need to do. If God will bless us and as we work it's 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:36.440 the unglamorous work of discipling one another. That's not just waiting for new people but 00:12:36.440 --> 00:12:42.639 at the moment keeping doing it, serving one another, serving even in the church, you know 00:12:42.639 --> 00:12:47.559 the welcoming, the creche, the kids church, the rotas, the family that we're seeking to 00:12:47.559 --> 00:12:52.200 maintain. We're not wanting to maintain an institution, it's a family. You know what's 00:12:52.200 --> 00:12:56.399 really interesting, I don't know if you noticed it in the passage in Thessalonians when Paul 00:12:56.399 --> 00:13:03.600 is describing how he disciples them. Do you notice how he does it? He says, I'm like a 00:13:03.600 --> 00:13:11.199 mother with you and then he says I'm like a father with you. It's really tremendous. 00:13:11.199 --> 00:13:18.039 He speaks in these two ways about the way he cared for them and discipled them. We were 00:13:18.039 --> 00:13:24.120 gentle among you like a nursing mother taking care of her own children and then later on 00:13:24.120 --> 00:13:30.039 he says for we know in verse 11 like a father with his children how he exhorted each one 00:13:30.039 --> 00:13:37.840 of you and encouraged you. Isn't that great? Our discipling is to be familial, it's to 00:13:37.840 --> 00:13:42.799 be family-oriented. It's like how we would treat our children and that's how we disciple 00:13:42.799 --> 00:13:49.799 one another and that's really important and I think in our church family, discipling one 00:13:49.799 --> 00:13:54.399 another involves getting beyond the surface, it's getting beyond just saying hello, how 00:13:54.399 --> 00:14:00.599 are you? Fine, yes, how are you? Oh yeah, I'm very well as well. Becoming Jesus people 00:14:00.599 --> 00:14:07.000 together and sharing our faith and being accountable to one another and loving and serving one 00:14:07.000 --> 00:14:13.039 another and you know, I think the city groups are a great place for that to happen. It's 00:14:13.039 --> 00:14:21.519 tough but it's great and I think again can I just say with new Christians when we pray 00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:26.599 for them, when we see new Christians, maybe particularly new Christians that will come 00:14:26.599 --> 00:14:33.639 with a very different worldview. Maybe some of the girls from Sparkle Sisters or someone 00:14:33.639 --> 00:14:40.799 from Narcotics Anonymous or maybe if we're sharing our faith with a married gay couple 00:14:40.799 --> 00:14:48.519 and one of them is converted, that's going to be a journey of discipleship with them. 00:14:48.519 --> 00:14:55.120 It's not going to be instantly mature 9 to 5 Christians that have got all the answers 00:14:55.120 --> 00:15:00.000 and know how to live. There'll be one step forward sometimes, two steps back, there'll 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:05.799 be tears and there'll be brokenness but that's what we're called to do in discipleship. It's 00:15:05.799 --> 00:15:14.839 not clean cut and it's not always easy. And then the last thing is community and again 00:15:14.839 --> 00:15:21.599 I think that's such a crucial part of what we are and what we want to be more and more. 00:15:21.599 --> 00:15:29.439 We're adopted into God's family and I keep speaking in that context of family and I do 00:15:29.439 --> 00:15:34.439 think there's an overwhelming loneliness in the lost world around us and sometimes in 00:15:34.440 --> 00:15:41.240 our own hearts. I think this has been a year of isolation for many and there'll be a readjustment 00:15:41.240 --> 00:15:47.400 for us coming out of that, learning a new social skills, learning how to cook again 00:15:47.400 --> 00:15:54.680 for other people as we open our home and things like that. But genuinely I think, interestingly 00:15:54.680 --> 00:16:03.640 I think community is the outworking of the other three, worship, mission and discipleship. 00:16:03.639 --> 00:16:11.720 It kind of is the glue for them all and as we are doers of the word and not hearers only 00:16:11.720 --> 00:16:19.720 part of that is just living and working at community. Honestly and this is not a, I'm 00:16:19.720 --> 00:16:25.159 not making excuses here and I'm not passing responsibility but I don't think it primarily 00:16:25.159 --> 00:16:31.720 is something that's centrally organised or centrally driven. It's certainly motivated 00:16:31.720 --> 00:16:39.560 and encouraged but I think it's each of our responsibility, every one of us and however 00:16:39.560 --> 00:16:45.279 that works out, you know that's where we all matter together. I think we're wrong if we 00:16:45.279 --> 00:16:52.480 have a hierarchy in the church. Yes we have biblical structure and we have leadership 00:16:52.480 --> 00:16:59.320 but there's a huge variety of gifts and there's equality between us all and I often feel those 00:16:59.320 --> 00:17:07.480 who do the unseen work in St Columbus or indeed in any church are the most important and the 00:17:07.480 --> 00:17:15.080 ones who'll be nearest to throne room in heaven. So moving forward I think we need each other 00:17:15.080 --> 00:17:23.120 and in community we're going to look out I hope for one another, look out particularly 00:17:23.119 --> 00:17:31.919 for those who are in most need and as we serve one another and as we forget ourselves we 00:17:31.919 --> 00:17:38.439 become most fulfilled I think. So we're looking to open our homes and our hearts and whatever 00:17:38.439 --> 00:17:43.759 gifts we have in that area and can I just encourage you again as you've always been 00:17:43.759 --> 00:17:51.039 brilliant at doing that vital work of welcoming new people when they come into our fellowship 00:17:51.039 --> 00:18:01.039 or into our gospel community informally however that looks for any of us. Let's be really 00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:07.240 strategic and deliberate about that and it does involve a deliberation, it involves an 00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:14.879 intentionality to look across the shoulders of the friend that you're speaking to and 00:18:14.880 --> 00:18:22.080 embracing the visitor, the new person among us. So it's something that we need to work 00:18:22.080 --> 00:18:28.800 hard at because we're a gathered people, it's something that the city groups hope to 00:18:28.800 --> 00:18:35.200 form as well but it is hard, I know it's hard work and maybe it's something we think is 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:45.960 a struggle as we come out of this time of isolation but I hope that gently and slowly 00:18:45.960 --> 00:18:56.039 that we'll reconfigure ourselves. I'm really excited moving forward, I'm excited for Thomas 00:18:56.039 --> 00:19:01.319 starting in Carlyway and what that looks like, I'm excited for the partnership we share, 00:19:01.319 --> 00:19:08.200 I'm also excited for us, God's stripping us back, he's going to refresh us, we're going 00:19:08.200 --> 00:19:14.679 to be refocused, whatever we do we're going to need to keep prayer critical to our moving 00:19:14.679 --> 00:19:23.119 forward and I honestly believe that God will continue to surprise us, energize us, stick 00:19:23.119 --> 00:19:31.639 with us and bless us as we focus on him and please pray for the next steps and please 00:19:31.639 --> 00:19:43.599 be part of that and please own the work, it's something that's very exciting and remember 00:19:43.599 --> 00:19:50.239 that the work of the Gospel is very much not about them, it's about us, the work of the 00:19:50.240 --> 00:19:59.079 church, it's not my work, you take that onus and you take that responsibility, it's our 00:19:59.079 --> 00:20:08.799 family together and just as a close that you remember that as we move forward we look to 00:20:08.799 --> 00:20:15.359 call again another assistant minister and you know in our context we've known about Thomas 00:20:15.359 --> 00:20:22.000 finishing for several months and obviously a number of months ago we set things in motion 00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:28.079 by asking the congregation if they're willing for us and happy for us to pursue the possibility 00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:33.399 of Corey coming as a potential replacement and at the time you gave that the green light 00:20:33.399 --> 00:20:38.759 and we talked then and we've prayed all the way through about God opening doors and opening 00:20:38.759 --> 00:20:43.759 doors at the right time and continuing to guide us and it's been tough because it's 00:20:43.759 --> 00:20:50.240 a bit of a chicken and an egg situation with legislation and with timing and calling someone 00:20:50.240 --> 00:20:55.359 that has to become a minister first so there's a commitment before we're even calling but 00:20:55.359 --> 00:21:01.960 throughout we've tried to do things properly and in the right time which is why we haven't 00:21:01.960 --> 00:21:05.559 said a lot about it up till now, you know some people have been asking what's happening, 00:21:05.559 --> 00:21:11.519 what's going to happen but Thomas has still been with us and that's significant and formally 00:21:11.519 --> 00:21:21.680 we obviously couldn't do anything anyway so we have tried to do that and we've seen 00:21:21.680 --> 00:21:25.920 the doors opening in terms of the process that Corey has gone through Presbytery Board 00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:32.759 of Ministry General Assembly is now a free church minister in an unusual position, there's 00:21:32.759 --> 00:21:40.400 been a free church minister working in Jackson Mississippi and Thomas is finishing date as 00:21:40.400 --> 00:21:46.759 until this Sunday so we weren't wanting to and wouldn't have done anything before then 00:21:46.759 --> 00:21:53.080 but following that we'll put out a letter with more details and I think on Sunday I 00:21:53.080 --> 00:21:58.240 said it was going to be a week tonight the coronational meeting sorry that was wrong 00:21:58.240 --> 00:22:03.960 it was originally then but I forgot it was a five Wednesday month so we'll do this city 00:22:03.960 --> 00:22:10.440 group as a follow-on from this prayer meeting as we have been doing and then on the 26th 00:22:10.440 --> 00:22:17.200 which is two weeks tonight sorry 23rd is it so that's my wife keeping me right what's 00:22:17.200 --> 00:22:25.759 the date okay sorry just getting to that time of year anyway it's two weeks tonight whatever 00:22:25.759 --> 00:22:32.200 the date is we'll be having a congregational meeting too we will propose as elders the 00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:41.160 election of Corey to forward to the Presbytery and hopefully then if that happens the Presbytery 00:22:41.160 --> 00:22:55.200 will come and oversee the signing of a call in July but that's just where we are and 00:22:55.200 --> 00:23:01.640 in July and August all the Wednesday evenings will be engine rooms just to give city group 00:23:01.640 --> 00:23:08.000 meetings a formal rest and break and I was going to say for all the homes that host them 00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:12.960 but you haven't been hosting so it's not a break from that point of view but I would 00:23:12.960 --> 00:23:21.480 encourage you to meet up in ones and twos together either on a Wednesday or any other 00:23:21.480 --> 00:23:31.480 time pray together be together but we'll continue on zoom for the Wednesday during July and 00:23:31.480 --> 00:23:37.640 August in the summer and then hopefully we'll be back to meeting together in person physically 00:23:37.640 --> 00:23:47.440 and rebooting the the city groups in September as we hope to do so we're excited about that 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:52.600 and we're excited what God has to do isn't it great this is his kingdom and his kingdom 00:23:52.600 --> 00:23:59.799 is coming and his will is being done in earth as it is in heaven so we'll be thinking about 00:23:59.799 --> 00:24:05.120 some of these things on Saturday morning as well and please speak to any of your elders 00:24:05.120 --> 00:24:12.680 or any of the elders or any of their pastoral team or me or Thomas or John or anyone about 00:24:12.680 --> 00:24:22.799 things and then we just look forward to what God has in store for us together. Amen.