In the book ‘Letters to the Church’, Francis Chan uses a helpful illustration of what a gathering could look like by describing his young daughter’s excitement on her birthday, as she anticipated all her friends coming along to her party, and each bringing gifts, just because they love her.
I enjoyed this illustration. For me, it re-frames a scripture (see references below) that perhaps can be a pressure. One that reveals our inner scarcity; that we have nothing to offer or are just not good enough to contribute. The idea of bringing a gift to our gatherings because we love Jesus and we love his church, is a far more cheerful prospect. Particularly when the Holy Spirit will provide it! It was lovely to hear people share on Sunday what they had felt God lay on their hearts in the week. We all hear God in different ways, don’t we? It could be as simple as a word from the Bible, a book, a song, or a film (like Julie’s Minority Report demonstration), from a friend (like Mike’s Belonging Group discussion theme), or a prayer request (like Karen’s), or through animals (like Linda and the dog!) and so on.
Reflect on: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, 1 Corinthians 14:26-33
Question: what can you share?
