November Vicar's Blog
Welcome to the November Vicar's blog. I know it's a few days late but I've been off last week on annual leave mixed with a bit of recovering from a nasty bout of rent free virus hosting (a cold).
I hope you enjoyed our wonderful Impact Church weekend. As well as the worship and time to share with each other, a real highlight was the diversity and fun at the talent show on Saturday night! We launched our new vision (more of that below), and kicked off a new sermon series by the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity (LICC) called 'fruitfulness on the frontline'. If you haven't yet put a red pin on our map in church where your frontline is, do remember to do so.
It's been a good month. Lots to give thanks to the Lord for. Giving thanks daily is a spiritual discipline that I need to exercise more often, especially in my morning quiet times with the Lord. In our all-age service last month, we were learning the Bible verses 'Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you.' (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17). This means that if I'm not attempting to rejoice, pray, give thanks as a regular habit, I'm out of God's life-giving will for my life and I don't want that to be the case. I don't know what your internal negative critic is like, but mine needs some 'unfriending' with a good dose of those verses.
At staff meeting yesterday, we were welcoming our amazing new member of staff - Lynda Wright, who will be heading up our Pastoral Care team, including strengthening our links with those who might be isolated at home in our community. It's an exciting, 15 hour a week post and we're thrilled to have Lynda 'join the bus' with the experience and gifts that she brings. As part of getting to know each other a little more yesterday, we were sharing some of our hobbies or interests - you know, the things that give us life. As well as mentioning my love of cycling, and more recently, Padel - I found myself actually articulating the words 'efficiency'! I know, it sounds ridiculous, and suggests that I should be replaced by a cyborg, but I truly love a week off, pottering about the house, thinking how I can make things more efficient! Whether it's setting a three-month reminder to change my toothbrush head, clean the washing machine filter, tidy the garage, stick labels on our laundry shelves or mechanise my chicken's food on a pulley system so that the rats have less access - it's all deeply relaxing and brings me joy! Last year I bought my in-law's two presents for Christmas. The first was that I installed a slidey-tape on the top of all of their curtain rails so that the curtains never snagged again as they pulled them - friction free bliss! The second was I installed a remote control system to enable them to switch on their three sitting room lamps in seconds, and by the door, rather than clambering behind sofas to turn each on one. Best Christmas presents ever. Efficient. Beautiful. Order out of chaos. As Psalm 51's Paraphrase in 'The Message' puts it, 'God, shape a Genesis week out of the chaos of my life….'.
Now I'm aware that the last paragraph has probably divided opinion down the middle in our congregation between those who are nodding with appreciative approval, and those who are shaking their heads in disbelief and worry for the plight of our church! I know that 'order out of chaos' is part of God's Kingdom, but there's a shadow side isn't there! I'm so thrilled with the launch of our new Mission statement, Values, and priorities which we shared at our Church Weekend, Impact in October. There was a sense of unity, alignment and peace as we used the motif of 'living water' (Ezekiel 47), as a framework for our priorities under 'Source' (large gatherings), 'Stream' (smaller gatherings) and 'Delta' (your own 'frontline' where you minister). If you haven't read our two-page 'Vision, Mission and Values' document, or our three page 'Source, Stream, Delta' priorities, please do read them and ask the Holy Spirit how he might be calling you to engage. I've attached it in this email here:
So what's the shadow side to valuing efficiency, and 'order out of chaos'?! Well I'm sure there are many, but reality tells me that real life is full of beautiful, messy, broken-lives, living in the 'now' and the 'not yet' of the Kingdom and the daily 'groaning' of all creation as we anticipate Jesus' return. Jesus' Luke 4 manifesto at the start of his public ministry didn't start with proclaiming 'good news for the productive, and efficiency solutions for the savvy', but freedom from whatever forms of slavery bind us down. God's church is not about a good looking spreadsheet of priorities, owners and tasks, but his 'ecclesia', his beautiful, beloved 'called out ones' gathering together to work and worship and live like his Kingdom is near. With that in mind, I'm hoping that our six-values will play a part in shaping the type of Kingdom culture that the Lord wants us to be - being real and authentic, loving and compassionate, and brave and creative in our witness for him.
As we look forward, I am praying that the Holy Spirit would continue to bring order and beauty out of chaos, as we make every effort to serve in our local church as well as on our frontlines, but that we would do so with great love, and a lightness that comes from being led daily by the Holy Spirit. For me, it means remembering to prioritise people over tasks, being available, and learning to lead with love. Please can you also pray for godly women and men in our church to continue to be called out as part of the leadership team, both in helping us to put those priorities into action, but also in discerning God's will and how we live like his Kingdom is near. I'm so grateful that I don't share this burden alone, but with all of you, as part of the amazing body of God, with Christ as our head.
Here's to an efficient, I mean, glorious next month ahead! Revd John Monaghan