It turns out that God has been outside all the time. As a young Christian growing up in Australia, I was led to believe that my task was to take the Lord Jesus Christ out into the world. This task was commissioned by my church leaders for me to be a witness of and servant for Jesus. This led to an unstated belief that God was in my church group and not with those outside. My church was blessed by the Spirit of God and therefore we could share this blessing with those outside our group. Over the years I have seen that this belief has narrow implications. It’s not biblically correct, as God is everywhere. Also, the Scriptures contain many stories where God’s people are given wisdom, blessing and grace from people outside of their holy huddle. It seems that God is already active in the world outside the church’s sphere of influence. God is blessing, healing, moving, motivating and leading all sorts of people in a variety of places. Through my life’s experiences, I’ve seen God turning up in circumstances where I least expected and I’ve learnt to be open to all sorts of surprises and possibilities. As our church community listens and discusses the future, may we be open to making connections with others outside our groups, linking into God’s works of grace, which is already active. We can share with and teach each other, recognising that we all are children of God. We are blessed by God through those around us so that we may be a blessing to them. As a community of believers, God serves others with us, seeking connection with Jesus.
Rev Malcolm Rawlings – You are welcome to hear the rest of the message at our Worship this Sunday.