DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING TO?.....
 

I had the privilege to be a guest speaker at the Purley Baptist Church group CAMEO (Come And Meet Each Other) last Tuesday. I wasn’t quite sure of the brief, which seemed to be quite open, “bring something of interest”.

What I chose to speak about was to look at the idea of call – both individually and for the church. I told them a story of what has happened with Christ Church over the last 6-8 months or so (and further back to be perfectly honest) as well as the story of my call to Sanderstead.

It begins with the response post-Covid to our service pattern. For safety, introducing three services, all of 45 minutes, to minimise the numbers in each service and the time exposure of each individual in each service. The logic then followed – “we don’t need to do the same thing in each service, do we?” – and so the Third Service was born and developed into the Spirit Filled space that it has become.

It was at this point I was able to point out in the talk that one of the things we increasingly see is how the message (with no published theme or bible reading – sometimes written that morning, and unknown to the worship leader) and the song lyrics complement each other brilliantly. The Spirit speaking to each of us independently, preparing the Third service for us!!

I offered the group two principles related to Spirit Filled Worship – firstly, the Holy Spirit is our pastor and secondly, God is the most important person in the room.

It so happened that I had been asked if there were any hymns that I would like to go along with my talk. I had missed this request so Gill, who chose them for me, mentioned that she had just had to choose three for the morning. It so happened the first hymn was “Praise to the Lord, the almighty” which has the following line “Ponder anew, What the Almighty can do”. And that was my opening line – when seeking a sense of call, it is asking that question – pondering anew, what the Almighty can do …..and asking our part in it!

The rest of the talk outlined two senses of call.

Firstly, the journey Christ Church has been on, from inspiration through New Wine talks in the summer, through a sermon series on Spirit Filled Worship to a renewed service pattern in February onwards.  An emerging format for making space for more to be filled, for healing and for powerful, creative intercession from amongst the whole body of Christ Church. (see recent blogs for more details).

But alongside that, my own personal sense of call, a nudge and prompt from the Lord, towards a new challenge and specifically Sanderstead parish. And that leads us to this period of transition.

I finished with the short homily I gave at the interview. It was about how the friends who lowered the paralysed man through the roof, and that we, when we pray into what can feel like hopeless situations, where we feel helpless, can only do one thing – place the sufferer at the feet of Jesus and ask him to do the rest.

If you are facing a situation in which you feel helpless, where you have no words, I commend it to you. *

The talk seemed to go well. But I was also reminded that Christ Church is in that transition. Whilst we continue to work on a good departure, there is also a call on Christ Church to look forward to your new leader. My prayer to God is for that person, God’s chosen to lead Christ Church after me, to whom the baton will be passed, so to speak.

Which is where you come in, as part of the work of the wardens and PCC. The new Parish Profile needs to be informed by that sense of call on the church and on each individual.

And then a song came into my head (not for the first time!)……

In 1975 Diana Ross starred in a film called Mahogany. The theme song for the film was released that year and is entitled “Do you know where you are going to?” If you know the film (it ends well by the way) then it’s less about that detail, than the lyrics of the song….

Do you know where you're going to?

Do you like the things that life is showing you?

Where are you going to?

Do you know?

Do you get what you're hoping for?

When you look behind you, there's no open doors

What are you hoping for?

Do you know?

I invite you to start a conversation with God, asking afresh the answers to these sorts of questions.

As consultations on the Parish profile begin soon, my prayer is that all will hear from God the direction HE wants to take Christ Church, and each of its members over the coming year and beyond.

I also invite you to join a weekly intercessory prayer meeting, one hour a week to pray for the church and its people at this time of change.
Wishing all every blessing however this finds you

I’m always open for a coffee should you wish to chat over anything

Your brother in Christ

Doug

vicar@christchurchpurley.org.uk

* This was another blog in November by the way….

TRAJECTORY