Our diocesan vision is to grow as Kingdom People, sharing the good news of Jesus’ love in Worcestershire and Dudley.
As the body of Christ, we join together to worship God creatively, make disciples, share hope, and transform communities as we live out values of love, compassion, justice and freedom.
To make our lives subject to the just and gentle rule of God and to work and long for the day when all people, all creation, celebrates that oneness together, that unity that we find in the Kingdom of God.
The pandemic has thrown everyone’s lives upside down, in a myriad of ways. When I’ve asked people what has helped them during these times, they’ve often said the same three things, one way or another. Exercise, the support of friends and time with God, resting in his love.
Lent is a time to drink deeply from these life giving wells, allowing God to share each moment with you. Exercise your body if you can, walking in God’s world, drinking it in. Giving thanks for anything you see or hear, touch or smell that is good. Make contact with friends and family, perhaps with someone you haven’t talked with for a while, or stay online with your online church family if you have one for a post service zoom coffee. For some people it might be the only time they get to meet and talk with others. God comes to us in Jesus, and we should expect to meet with God in and through other people, as well as in nature and the world around us.
And finally, connecting with God directly in prayer. Finding a time to be still and to rest in the presence of God, within us and all around us as he always is. Many of us have faced great sadness, grief and loss this year. Many feel a huge loneliness inside. Take a time each day to allow God to care for you in the silence, to turn that emptiness into a life giving solitude.
God is always here with us, tapping us on the shoulder, as it were, hoping we will stop, and turn around and spend time in his company.
I have a Christian meditation app on my phone which rings a gong to begin my quiet time, and a gong to end it each day. You can set it for 10, 20, 30 minutes, whatever time you have to give. I can promise you, it won’t be wasted!
Exercise, the company of friends, and the spirit which is divine: Healing and sustaining forces for Lent, as we seek to grow as Kingdom People. As a healthy and sustainable church.
