Thursday 29 November 2012

The Blessing that Never Was

This doesn't happen very often, but I'm delighted when it does: blessing a house. It's happened twice of late: once, for a couple whose wedding I took last year, and who have now moved to a new house; and yesterday for a church member who has just moved to her new home. It is good to pray God's peace and blessing into a home, so that the person or the family become conscious of 'abiding under the shadow of the Almighty' (Psalm 91.1). It would be good to be asked more often.

This week, I also had the experience of a blessing being cancelled. I was phoned by a woman who asked me if I 'did house blessings'. I told her I did, and 'was there any particular reason?' She said there had been some weird goings-on. I arranged a day and time, and asked a female church member to accompany me. I then had to phone the lady back to adjust the time, and left a message on her voicemail. Back came the message later on: 'Who are you and why are you coming?'    It turns out that the woman who inhabits the house, and whose phone number I had phoned, had not made the original call to me! She said someone was trying to cause trouble for her: she had had taxis call at the house, which she had not ordered; anonymous letters and hoax phone calls. Now this. Time to call the police, she said. All very embarrassing for both of us - and very sad for her. I wonder what that is all about. I prayed for her anyway.

Tuesday 27 November 2012

From the Beginning

I've been meaning to do this for a long time - set up a blog intended mainly to improve communication with members of our three churches. I don't kid myself that this will be widely read or do much to change the world, but at least it will enable us to keep in touch a little better.

I spent an hour this morning with one of our church members. She was concerned that we rarely pray (at least in public worship) for persecuted Christians. She feels that this subject is widely ignored, and yet thousands of our brothers and sisters suffer for their faith. Why the silence - for example, when she highlights a particular case on her FaceBook page? Perhaps too uncomfortable? Politically sensitive? Maybe we would be accused of an anti-Muslim bias, since - sadly - so much persecution of Christians is perpetrated by Muslims.

We have agreed to do a few things e.g. include specific needs for prayer on the All Hallows pew sheet (her own church) and arrange for a preacher to come next year to highlight this matter for us.

It's another way we can break out of our self-preoccupation and become more mission-minded - seeking first God's Kingdom and his righteousness.