Unwrap the Gift
Today, the CIH preached his first post-ordination sermon. It was in St Peter's, Chelmarsh to a small crowd of thirteen. The Bible reading of the day was Mark 8:27-38; which includes Peter's response to Jesus' question, "Who do people say I am?" Peter replied, "You are the Christ!"
The CIH challenged the congregation by asking, "Who would the people of Chelmarsh say that Jesus is? They will only see Jesus through our lives, our examples and our testimonies." He went on to say, "Do we want our neighbours to see the image of Jesus that we portray or do we want something better?" The CIH then asked who do we say Jesus is and, if Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, what exactly will that mean for our lives?
He was going to produce a beautifully wrapped gift but forgot to bring it and had left it at home but if he had brought it, he was going to suggest that we treat our Church buildings like precious gifts that we never unwrap. We never reveal to others the contents of the gift. Eventually, after people have seen the gift often enough and have stopped being intrigued by it, the curiosity falls off and the shiny paper somehow loses its shine. People stop asking questions about the contents - the gift itself. Instead, we should unwrap our church and reveal the contents to our friends and neighbours - namely Christ.
It was good to hear the CIH preach and have him lead the service. Keep up the good work.
The CIH challenged the congregation by asking, "Who would the people of Chelmarsh say that Jesus is? They will only see Jesus through our lives, our examples and our testimonies." He went on to say, "Do we want our neighbours to see the image of Jesus that we portray or do we want something better?" The CIH then asked who do we say Jesus is and, if Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, what exactly will that mean for our lives?
He was going to produce a beautifully wrapped gift but forgot to bring it and had left it at home but if he had brought it, he was going to suggest that we treat our Church buildings like precious gifts that we never unwrap. We never reveal to others the contents of the gift. Eventually, after people have seen the gift often enough and have stopped being intrigued by it, the curiosity falls off and the shiny paper somehow loses its shine. People stop asking questions about the contents - the gift itself. Instead, we should unwrap our church and reveal the contents to our friends and neighbours - namely Christ.
It was good to hear the CIH preach and have him lead the service. Keep up the good work.
posted by Col. @ 2:45 PM
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