St Marys Church

07/06/2026

Peters Talk 7th June 2026

Have you ever had a call that interrupts what you are doing or fundamentally changes your plans?
It happens at our house – Janet agrees something with the girls, doesn’t tell me or put it in our joint calendar and then when I announce something I am doing, or I am just looking for a quiet afternoon, I hear the words “ but the girls are coming round for a meal that day”.

Well, our readings today from Matthew and Genesis tell us how a call from God led to two peoples’ plans being changed fundamentally.
Matthew is sitting at his tax booth, doing the very thing that made him despised, taking more money off people than he should and not passing it all on as he was supposed to do, a traitor working for the Romans. When Jesus comes, Matthew is not praying, not searching, not repenting, although he may have heard Jesus speak previously. He is simply there collecting the money. And Jesus walks straight into that ordinary moment and says two words that change a life: “Follow me.”

Abram’s family had been on a journey from UR of the Chaldeans, but when they came to Haran they settled there. He has land, family, security, and a predictable future. Then God speaks a word that overturns everything: Leave your country, leave your kindred, leave your father’s house.

Jesus does not wait for Matthew to clean up his act. He does not demand a résumé of non-existent spiritual achievements. In fact, Matthew’s CV may have involved dishonesty or even exploitation, a common practice among tax collectors of the time. While the Bible does not give specific details about Matthew’s conduct before his conversion, the general reputation of tax collectors would have cast a shadow over him. But Jesus calls Matthew as he is—and trusts that transformation will follow. A powerful reminder that discipleship begins not with our worthiness but with willingness. Jesus sees potential where others see problems. Any management book or article will tell you that effective leaders focus on a person’s strength and potential for growth not necessarily on how they currently perform.

For Abram, God’s call is not gentle rearrangement. It is total disruption. God’s invitations can come disguised as discomfort: a restlessness, a nudge, a conviction, a sense that “there must be more than this.” Abram’s story reminds us that God’s voice often sounds like movement, a time to do something. Faith begins when God unsettles us but even then, we can have confidence.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Or, Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Let’s look at our Matthew reading first. The first thing to note is there is no hesitation. Having received the call Matthew just gets up and follows Jesus. Not only that but he decides to throw a dinner party to which he invites his friends and colleagues, a generally unsavoury bunch of tax collectors and sinners, spiritually and socially suspect. Instead of distancing himself from his old life, Matthew used his connections to introduce others like him to Jesus. This act of hospitality teaches us the significance of reaching out to those society overlooks. Matthew’s example encourages us to extend the love of Christ to those who are marginalized, forgotten, or deemed unworthy by others.
The pharisees ask the disciples:
Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?
They miss the point that holiness is not about separation, keeping to one’s own group as they did, it’s about providing sanctuary for an outcast group, where the meal is a ministry and the gathering becomes a sign of God’s kingdom.
Jesus answers the Pharisees question with a quote from Hosea:
“I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”
Jesus is not dismissing worship or tradition. He is exposing the danger of religious activity without compassion. Sacrifice is what we bring to God; mercy is what God brings to us—and asks us to extend to others. Jesus reached out to Matthew, and Matthew, in turn, reached out to others like him. We, too, are called to share the Gospel with everyone, especially those who may feel excluded.
When Jesus calls Matthew, he doesn’t give him a job description or a plan of how Matthew will develop, what he will become. Matthew’s is an act of faith and obedience not a gradual process, it was instant. He left his lucrative career, his comforts, and his old way of life to follow Jesus. His willingness to respond so quickly shows us the power of transformation when someone chooses to fully trust in God’s calling.

Similarly with Abram, God doesn’t give him a map of where he will be going. He does give him a promise though.
I will show you the land.”
“I will make you a great nation.”
“I will bless you.”
“You will be a blessing.”
The weight of the future rests not on Abram’s competence but on God’s faithfulness.
And the promise is not private. God’s intention is global: “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

But back to Matthew and Jesus quote from Hosea. Jesus is saying God is not impressed by Pharisees rituals that lack love. He is not moved by purity that excludes people. God is found where mercy flows. And that is a challenge for us.
Are we more concerned with being right rather than kind. Are we more focused on preserving boundaries than on welcome. Do appearances matter more than healing.

Like Matthew, it says in verse 4, “so Abram went”. No argument. No conditions. No detailed itinerary. Just obedience. He steps into the unknown with nothing but a promise in his pocket.
He demonstrated the essence of faith in God, trusting him enough to get up and move. And as he moves and comes to different places, he builds an altar to the Lord. An altar to God’s goodness and a reminder that he was not walking alone.
So, what do these passages say to us today.

Abram’s journey mirrors the journey of every believer and every church community.
Firstly, God still calls us to step out. Sometimes into new ministries, new relationships, new acts of generosity, new patterns of discipleship. The question is not whether God calls, but whether we are listening.
Secondly God’s promises are still bigger than our plans. We often want clarity; God offers companionship. We want certainty; God offers covenant. We want the map; God gives us His presence.
Thirdly our obedience becomes someone else’s blessing. Abram’s “yes” changed the world. Our small acts of faith—our kindness, our courage, our generosity—carry ripples we may never see.
In a world anxious about the future, whether it’s current wars, increasing youth unemployment, the impact of AI or will we get our Tower fixed, will we get a Team Rector, Genesis 12 invites us to be a people who move forward in hope rather than fear. When God calls us to new ways of serving. When God nudges us beyond comfort. When God asks us to trust Him with our future. We can remember Abram.
We remember the God who goes ahead of us. And we say, in our own way: “So we went.”

And Matthew. Matthew 9:9–13 invites us to become a church shaped by Jesus’ priorities:
A calling church — where people hear “Follow me” spoken into their real lives.
A welcoming church — where tables are open and grace is abundant.
A merciful church — where compassion outweighs judgment.
A humble church — aware that we are all patients in the same hospital of grace.
In a world of division and exclusion this passage calls the church to be radically different: a community where mercy is not an optional extra but our very essence.
Matthew’s journey from a despised tax collector to a devoted disciple of Jesus and Gospel writer is remarkable. His transformation shows us that no one is beyond redemption, no matter their past or societal status.
Matthew’s story offers hope for all who feel marginalized or unworthy, reminding us that God’s call extends to everyone, regardless of their background. Just as Jesus chose Matthew, He calls each of us to follow Him, leaving behind our old lives for something far greater. Matthew’s life encourages us to reflect on how God can use us, no matter where we’ve come from, to make a lasting impact for His kingdom. Just like Matthew, we, too, can be transformed and play a vital role in sharing the Gospel with the world.

07/06/2026

St. Marys Prayers Sunday 7/06/26 from Jay

Father, we thank you this Morning that we are all made in your image. We give thanks for your son Jesus who has enabled us all no matter who or what we are to become your Children through the sacrifice of the Cross.

WORLD: - Father, we pray for cessation of Hostilities in both the conflicts in the Middle east and Russia and Ukraine. We ask that you will bring about peace deals that allow all those in involved to withdraw and life can return to normal.
We pray for the surviving veterans of the D-Day landings and ask that they will experience your presence as they remember their fallen comrades. We give thanks for their sacrifice that we may live in a democracy that allows us our freedom.
Lord in your mercy – Hear Our Prayers

Country: - Father, we pray for our Government and ask that as they make their decisions some of which are difficult; they will look at them from a Moral and ethical viewpoint.
Region: - Father, we continue to pray for the Local Government reorganisation. We ask that you would ensure that whatever, format is agreed upon will benefit all of the people of in the region.
Lord in your mercy – Hear Our Prayers

St. Marys Church & School: - Father, we pray Our Church Family. We ask that the children of Year 6 visiting St. Marys on the 12th June will encounter the Holy Spirit and realise that you God are real. We pray for Nigel and Liz our representatives on the Governing Body, that you will enable them to be a witness to both the Staff and Children. We pray that you will continue to inspire the Team Ministry as they lead and encourage us. We ask that the process of appointing a New Rector will be quick and they will be in their role as soon as possible.
Lord in your mercy – Hear Our Prayers

Unwell/Anniversaries: - Father, we pray for those who are unwell at this time and ask that you ensure that they are able to feel your presence and you would comfort and heal them.
Father, we pray for those whose anniversaries occur around this time; we pray you will comfort them as they fondly remember their loved ones.
Lord in your Mercy – Hear Our Prayers

Father, we give thanks for the sanctity of Life. We ask that you would constantly remind us that everyone matters no matter their race, identity, religion or creed you would cause us to love them, especially those who are on the periphery of society.

Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your son our Saviour Jesus Christ.Amen

Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6.

31/05/2026

Steve’s Talk: “Our God is a Great Big God, and he holds us!”
31.5.26

Introduction
Have you ever felt a bit overwhelmed by life?
Not just busy-but constantly “on”?
Family pressures
Relationships
Bills going up…
Work pressures not easing…
Headlines that never seem to get better…
Maybe tired… maybe unsure… maybe thinking,
“God, where are you in all of this?”
The truth is, even people in the Bible felt like that.
And today’s passages speak right into that space.
• Isaiah 40 reminds us just how big God is
• Matthew 28 shows us what Jesus calls us to do
And both together remind us, we are not alone

1. God Is Bigger Than We Think (Isaiah 40:12–17)
Isaiah paints this incredible picture of who God is.
He talks about God measuring the oceans, weighing mountains, stretching out the heavens, like it’s nothing.
The message is simple: God is bigger than anything we face.

And in 2026, that matters.
Because God is bigger than:
• Economic uncertainty
• Global instability
• The pressures we carry day to day
• The things that keep you awake at 2 in the morning!
Compared to God, the things we see as huge, are actually very small in comparison.
2. God Knows When We’re Struggling (Isaiah 40:27–31)
The people felt forgotten.
And maybe we’ve felt that too.
But today, struggle often looks different.
It’s not always dramatic.
Sometimes it’s just:
• A slow wearing down
• Tired faith
• Quiet prayers
• Wondering if anything is changing
But Isaiah reminds us:
God doesn’t get tired
God doesn’t lose track of us
God gives strength to those who are worn out
“Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength.”


Life from my Perspective
I’m going to rewind by a good few year….
Feels a little like back to the future
Cwm penmachno – was a slate quarry village in North Wales
Closing in 1962 after 150 years of operation
“cwm” means a valley,
pen = “head”, “end”, or “top” (often the head of a valley)
Machno = the name of the local river and valley
The head/end of the Machno valley, rich in Welsh slate.
I was there visiting as a much younger man, on a weekends retreat with a friend of mine, we went for a walk one morning up into this disused slate quarry which dominated the landscape.
We came across two derelict slate buildings sitting side by side. Roofs missing or collapsed, one very large and one much smaller.
We talked about, taking on a faith project that could lead to a great location, somewhere for people to come, visit and relax and perhaps encounter God in that space…I remember saying that would be a step too far for me to take on such a big building project and I pointed to the smaller building close by.
I said I would be happier to take on rebuilding the smaller one. My friend said why the smaller one? I replied, “because if God pulled out, I know I could finish this one on my own”!
Fast forward now….35 years later, my friend was sitting in my living room, just last week and he reminded me of our time in Wales, and we recalled this very conversation. He went on to say, “but do you remember how our perspectives were changed?” Which I had forgotten all about.
You see back in that slate quarry we still had a fair climb ahead of us as we walked up this mountain of slate waste, so we pushed on. Later with our heads in the clouds, we turned and looked back on our tracks and to the buildings we had been standing in front of.
Now from what was a very different viewpoint, both buildings seemed very small indeed compared to the much wider expanse of the sprawling valley below us, and suddenly the potential projects that had seemed so large appeared far more manageable, in fact almost insignificant against the mountainous backdrop.
Our perspective on the challenges we saw in front of us had changed.
Looking on from a very different place, we saw those building in a much wider perspective and we were very much encouraged to see, well perhaps they were not some much of a challenge after all.
We did not build a Welsh retreat but we both did give years of our lives rebuilding what was Rainbows End Cafe in Rawtenstall, which for many years was a place to gather and encounter. A journey that required faith and trust.

That’s what Isaiah is reminding us.
Life challenges can feel overwhelming.
But if we’re holding onto God-or better, trusting that He’s holding onto us-we’re safe.
Not because life is easy…
But because God is strong.


Now we move to Matthew.
3. Jesus Meets People Where They Really Are (Matthew 28:16–17)
The disciples meet Jesus after the resurrection.
And it says something so real:
They worship Him…
But some still doubted
That’s incredibly encouraging.
Because it means:
You can follow Jesus and still have questions
You can worship and still feel unsure
And Jesus still meets us where we are.

4. Jesus Gives Us a Purpose (Matthew 28:18–20)
Jesus says:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Then He gives them a mission:
• Go
• Make disciples
• Baptise
• Teach
But this isn’t about doing something huge and impressive.
It’s about everyday faith:
Loving people well
Speaking hope
Living differently

And in 2026, that might look like:
Even a small act of kindness can make a big difference in someone’s world
• Checking in on a neighbour who’s struggling
• Being open about our faith rather than hiding it
• Offering to pray when someone shares something difficult
• Choosing integrity when shortcuts are easier
And we don’t do this alone-
We do this as a church family, supporting one another.
5. We are Not Sent Alone
Because here’s the part we can’t miss:
“I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
That changes things.
Even in a world full of noise, advertisements, emails, notifications, and distraction-
God is still present
He still speaking
He is still near
Isaiah says:
God is big
God is powerful
God gives strength
Jesus says:
Go and live this out
And I’ll be with you

So, the message today is simple:
Remember how big God is
When life feels overwhelming, pause.
Take 2 minutes this week before reacting to stress and bring it to God.
Lean on Him
Don’t just push harder-trust more.
Before making a decision this week, stop and ask Him first.
Live your faith simply
Do one intentional act this week:
• Encourage someone
• Pray with someone
• Invite someone into church community
Let me leave you with a question:
Where do you need to trust God more this week?
• Your money?
• Your worries?
• Your purpose?
• Or your awareness of His presence?


In Closing
When life feels overwhelming, it is often because we are viewing our challenges too closely, allowing them to appear larger than they truly are; yet when our perspective shifts, when we step back and see our lives in the context of God’s greatness, those same challenges are re-sized and lose their power to define us.
Like the buildings in the quarry that seemed daunting up close but insignificant from a higher vantage point, our circumstances do not necessarily change, but our understanding of them can.
Isaiah reminds us that God is far bigger than anything we face, while Jesus shows us that He meets us in our doubts, gives us purpose, and walks with us always.
The result is profound: we move from fear to trust, from limitation to possibility, and from carrying burdens alone to living with the confidence that the God who is great enough to hold the universe is also close enough to hold us in His hands.
Let’s Pray
Lord, thank You that You are strong when we are weak, and close when we feel alone.

Help us to trust You, to lean on You, and to walk with confidence knowing You are always with us.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.

31/05/2026

Prayers 31/5/26 – from Karen

Quite a few years ago, before we had children, we led a youth group. One of the boys in the group was struggling with life and his faith and as I was praying for him I saw a picture of massive hands, the verse from Psalm 139 v 7 came to mind - Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
I knew deeply that God was saying that we could leave the young teenage boy in His hands and that we could trust God with him.
When I shared this with his mum, who was very worried about him, she became angry with me and said I should wait until we had children and see if I still thought the same. I can honestly say that because I knew that God had spoken to me, that with our own children, and now grandchildren I can confidently place them into His hands.
Sometimes, as recently happened when our seven year old granddaughter phoned us from their safe house in Israel telling me she was scared because of the explosions nearby, I felt that sense of anxiety building in me but I have learned that worrying or being anxious in the storms of life can’t change anything and could quickly place them into God’s hands and ask the Holy Spirit for inspiration for words of comfort. Then I can operate from the peace of God which passes understanding.
So during this morning’s prayers we are going to place things into God’s massive hands! You each should have a hand cut out, as we pray, consider the things we need to place in His hands and trust Him with and as we do allow His peace to still our anxious hearts. If it helps you, write them on the hand as we pray.
Father, we place into Your hands our families and friends. As we bring them and their situations to you, we say that we trust You with them. We trust your timing, we trust Your grace, we trust Your love for them. As we let go, fill us with your peace.
Lord, we place into Your hands the things that we are struggling with, this may be a decision we need to make, it might be finances, or sickness, fear or work. As we call these things to mind, Lord we place them into Your hands and say that we know we can trust You, we choose to let go and listen for Your voice of wisdom for these situations. Fill us again with Your peace which passes understanding.
Father, we all know the song, He’s got the Whole World in His Hands, and we say today that this is what we believe. We pray for Your kingdom to come, and Your will to be done on this Earth. Help us to bring Your peace, love, hope and joy to every person we meet, every situation we find ourselves in. We pray for your people around the world who are facing wars and persecution, that they may trust their lives into Your hands too.
When I was telling a friend the other day about the picture I had of God’s hands, she told me that she had a similar experience, that it was a time in her life where she was trying to juggle so many situations that she felt it was like she was trying to hold onto water and it was just falling through her hands, she was not managing things well at all. As she was praying about this feeling she saw a picture of her hands with things falling through but then when she looked, underneath her hands she saw God’s big hands catching what was falling through hers.
Lord, as we go out from here today, we choose not to try and hold onto what we can’t and say that we trust and believe that You do all things well, that we are safe in Your hands.
Amen

24/05/2026

Today’s sermon from Rev’d Julie Barratt

“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
What is he talking about? We know it is something to do with Pentecost because, firstly, the reading was chosen for today, and secondly because John explains that Jesus meant the Holy Spirit, which as we have heard was poured out at Pentecost. That’s fine, but what has water got to do with it?
The first clue is that we are told Jesus made this announcement “On the last and greatest day of the festival.” The festival was the Festival of Tabernacles which earlier in the chapter John tells us that Jesus went to Jerusalem to participate in. During the Festival of Tabernacles people slept in tents all over the city of Jerusalem and met in the temple for worship every day, remembering their time in the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land. On the seventh and final day “the last and greatest day” of the festival, crowds gathered at the temple steps for the high point of the week. Priests carried large cisterns of water from a nearby stream to the temple, and poured water from the altar down the temple steps creating a stream flowing out from the temple towards the east. It was a this point that Jesus stood up and said “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
To make sense of what Jesus was saying, we need to know what the priests were doing pouring water down the temple steps. It wasn’t church cleaning day. They were reenacting a vision that Ezekiel had when God showed the temple in Jerusalem restored after the exile. In his vision Ezekiel sees a river which begins as a trickle running down from the temple. This river flowed east, growing as it went from a trickle to a river large enough to swim in as it flowed towards the Dead Sea. When the river reaches the Dead Sea it will make it fresh and in Ezekiel’s words: “Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live.” (47:8b-9) “Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows into them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” (47:12)
We see this vision again in Revelation: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” (22:1-2)
Ezekiel’s vision is of the coming of the kingdom of God, first of all as the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple. John’s vision is part of the description of the New Jerusalem, the ultimate vision of the kingdom of God. It is in between these visions Jesus stands up and announces “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” This is how Ezekiel and John’s visions are going to be realised.
Before Jesus, God sent the Holy Spirit to individual’s for specific occasions. Through Jesus the Holy Spirit is to be made available to everyone. “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.”
Before his death Jesus promised his disciples that, after he returned to the Father, after his ascension, he would send the Holy Spirit to them. That promise was kept at Pentecost.
The Holy Spirit was poured out on the frightened disciples huddled together “in one place”. “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit”.
The disciples left their hiding place and went out declaring the “wonders of God” in many languages and Peter quoted the prophet Joel: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.”
The disciples left the safety of their hiding place and began the flow of living water, the Holy Spirit. It started as a trickle with a small group of people and began growing. Acts 2:41 tells us “about three thousand were added to their number that day”. As time went on that river flowed out from Jerusalem, growing as it went until it covered the whole world. The Holy Spirit was poured out and entered every person that put their faith in Jesus and the kingdom of God grew. As the story of Acts unfolds we see that everything that the river from Ezekiel’s vision was, the church became in the world. They fed the hungry, healed the sick and proclaimed the good news. They became the river of living water flowing out into the world bringing life to dead places.
What stared with Jesus, was passed to his disciples, and then on to the crowd at Pentecost, kept flowing, kept spreading and getting bigger. The river of the Spirit didn’t just flow geographically, it flows through time too. It has kept flowing from Jesus, through his apostles, and through every generation since. Today, when we put our faith in Jesus, God pours his Holy Spirit into us and we too have the potential for “rivers of living water to flow from within” us. We can join our trickle of living water into the vast river that is the work of the Spirit in the world.
When Ezekiel had his vision of the river he was not invited to observe it but to enter it, to swim in it and become part of it. Jesus offered the same invitation to “Come to me and drink” so that “rivers of living water will flow” from us. The life of the Spirit is not for us to observe but to participate in, to swim in.
The gift of the Holy Spirit is not given to us for our private spiritual benefit, to be kept to ourselves. The gift of the Holy Spirit is given to us to share, to pour out for the benefit of others. The Spirit’s power is not given to us to bless us (though it does), to make us feel spiritual and/or holy, it is given to us to use for the benefit of others. It is God’s creative power poured through us to heal the world, to feed the world, to show the world Jesus, to bring the kingdom of God into being in the place that we are.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. If you think about it this fruit is outgoing it is not just for our benefit (although we do benefit from it). Work to produce fruit happens on the inside but the fruit itself shows on the outside. Fruit is meant to leave the producer and be given away to bring new life. An apple tree does not jealously hold on to its apples, it lets them grow to become new trees, to become the source of more apples. The fruit of the Spirit gives us the life of Jesus and we pass on that fruit to bring about the life of Jesus in others. To become new life, and to become the source of more new life. We show the fruit for the benefit of others – we love others, we bring joy to others, we bring peace to others, we show kindness to others, we are faithful to God and to others, we show gentleness when we deal with others, and our self-control puts the needs of others before our own. When the Spirit flows through us it changes us (if we allow it) and as it flows from us it brings about change in those around us. The Spirit gives us life and then that life flows through us bringing life to those around us.
Everything that we do in Jesus name and in the power of the Spirit joins the flow of living water that becomes the river that brings life to the world. If we live in the power of the Spirit every great or small act of love, of kindness, of gentleness or the sharing of any fruit of the Spirit, brings life. The more that we do in the Spirit’s power, great or small, adds a trickle of living water that joins the river of life flowing from Jesus. The more that we do, the bigger that river gets and the aim is to drown the whole world in it.
Our job is to look for the dry places, the dead places in the world around us and watch for the river of the Spirit flowing towards it and to join in. Our job is to bring life to those dry and dead places. In the power of the Spirit we can do it on our own, as one person; we can bring life to the people we live with, that we work with, that we encounter when we are out and about. We can bring life to anyone we spend any time with. We can do it together as a church, in the power of the Spirit, through our worship, through our prayers and through things like Soup and Sandwich, Make and Take, hospitality, supporting our church school, joining other churches initiatives. We can bring life by looking for where the river of God is bringing life and adding our trickle to it.
Water is unstoppable. It will find a way to flow where ever it goes and as it goes it brings life – all living things need water in order to live. That is true of the Holy Spirit. All living things need the Spirit in order to truly live. They need the living water to flow. We are called to be the living water, and we are powered by the Holy Spirit. It is us that God is expecting to water our world with the living water that is so necessary for life and life in abundance. We are called to join in the flow of the Spirit.
If we don’t something might die. If we don’t, we will not be participating in the river of life that God is sending through the earth and we ourselves may shrivel up and die. The river of life, the life of the Holy Spirit, is God’s way of bringing true life to his creation and he calls us to be the vessels that it flows from. The Holy Spirit is the river of life, the life of Jesus, the life of the kingdom and we are invited to be part of the river. We are invited to bring life to the world. Don’t miss the invitation. Don’t miss the chance to bring life to dead places. Don’t miss the chance to be part of a vision that stretches from Ezekiel to Revelation. Don’t miss the chance to be part of the river of life that God is using to change the world. Don’t miss the chance to have that living water flow from you. Take a deep breath, dive into the living water and bring life to a thirsty world.
Amen