A reflection:
Lord, I want to be a disciple, a seeker, a follower.
Instead I find myself busy, distracted, and floundering.
Stop me Lord, tickle me, distract me with yourself.
So that finding you I can begin to know who I am again.
Lord we want to be a church, part of a kingdom, a light.
Instead we find ourselves in meetings, bickering, in darkness.
Stop us Lord, tickle us, remind us who you are.
So that finding you we can begin to see your light again.
November is the sort of month we could live without really. It has neither the allure of Christmas nor the beauty of October’s falling leaves; it can often be a damp squib. However I think for Zion, this November may be a really important month. We are at the stage that the whole Beacon Project has a great deal of momentum, many people are working away in the background with the hope that we can go out to tender and find a real company who will give us real prices that could then be tested against the finances that we have accumulated. More information will no doubt follow but please do pray that November is a break through month for the Beacon.
November is also a month where often nothing very major happens: there are no harvest celebrations or bank holidays, few of us take holidays in November. It could be described as just a “normal†month. As such I think it is a good opportunity to look at our “normal†Christian life. How is my discipleship, how am I expressing the blessing that I have received, what part am I playing in the normal blessing which is upon and through the church of Jesus Christ. For many of us a sober reflection of our “normal†Christian life and our “normal†engagement with the kingdom of God, will lead us to self-chastisement. That will probably only get worse if we were to read a devotional classic by a Chinese Christian from the 20’s watchman Lee. His book is entitled, “The Normal Christian Life.†It is an extraordinary call for Christian discipleship, as the “normal†Christian life. Rather than making us feel bad, Nee, a man who spent over 20 years in prison for his faith, would rather have us realise that through Christ we can actually please God; we can bring joy to his heart. By studying Romans 5-8 Nee: “walks you beautifully through all that and leaves you with an assurance that (in Christ) we can live a life that pleases our Father in heaven. “
Our discipleship is often a lot like November; unspectacular. On the other hand, November is a month where we can please our Father in heaven; he gives us 30 whole days to do so. Each normal day is a chance to watch what God is doing, and so to join in with Christ’s help. I trust you will all have a very normal November.
Stephen
