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Dear Friends
It is always un-nerving when you see your name in print that you are beginning to think about leaving and moving on. This happened in a recent weekly Newsletter and it has also happened verbally in the intercessions as people have been praying for me as I look for my next post. These prayers have been much appreciated as I look for the new direction in which my journey will take as my curacy comes towards a close. These things have served to remind me that much as I've enjoyed living in Crich, this is not my permanent home. That I am a pilgrim on the journey.
But then when we think about it we are all on a journey, some of us may feel more anchored physically - perhaps the village has always been your home - but we are all on a journey through life. We are all on a spiritual journey, though some may not be aware of this dimension as others. God connects with us both in conscious and un-conscious ways and Pentecost reminds us of the Spirit of God working through us, within us and around us.
The Bible tells us that as Christians our home is in the Kingdom of God and that our time on earth is just a temporary place, a short lived experience compared to the life of eternity that is promised to those who follow Jesus. Perhaps if we hold on to that truth we can journey through life with less stress and with more joy. It will also help us as we face change in our life, whether it is in a good way or in times of difficulty. It might also encourage us to do a little bit of good where we can, to show kindness and generosity - things that might make someone else's journey through life a little bit easier, to bring a pleasure and a smile.
As the scenery and landscape changes on a train journey, so on our individual journeys we should expect change, that things inevitably don't stay the same. If we accept that things will change and not resist or resent it then perhaps we'll adapt more easily. Growing older may bring less mobility but it doesn't mean that there can't be adventures ahead! They will just be in a different form.
When I gave my life to Jesus at Luton Town Football Stadium at a Colin Urquhart mission there was for me a great sense of 'coming home' - of being right with God. Without God in our lives then there can be a sense of restlessness, something which we can identify as being 'not quite right' in our lives. This was something I was aware of in my life before I became a Christian. And whilst it has not always been plain sailing since then, and Jesus didn't promise anything different, I have not lost this sense of connection with God, of being 'home'.
Jesus invites us to make our home in Him, which means that no matter where we are geographically, we are always 'at home'. That's an amazing thing about the Church, that wherever Christians gather together throughout the world then this place can be, is, our 'home' too. This has been our experience as we have had the privilege of visiting many different countries, it was certainly so in two very different churches we visited in South Africa recently for their Sunday Services. So as I look to the future I know that I will not leave God behind at Crich rather He will be with us as we join another Church fellowship wherever that may be - just as He remains with you. That doesn't mean that it will not be painful and sad to leave Crich and a Christian family who have become very dear to us.
Every blessing, Andy
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