SUNDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER

We started this day of worship together with our morning celebration at the East Stour School. Captain Ian led the worship through, and featured the all age presentation by Heather Whitewood. Prayers offered included those still setlling into new schools and classes, and those in education; for those who were far from well, including someone who had been taken into hospital that morning, and quite a number with virus'. We also welcomed back a brother who had been home to Zimbabwe for some weeks. Captain Ian did some teaching from Luke 10, prior to that having heard again the words of James about faith without action is dead - and Captain looked at the importance of putting our faith into action and not just talking about it - linking it with the annual appeal and how we need to be reaching into the darkness in so many different ways. We started by recognisng that the first section of Luke 10 encourages us to GO - Go and make a difference - knowing we are appointed by God, and sent by God, to Go into the world, and to Heal the Sick - to reach into the needs faced by so many people. We recognised this would vary and for some our mission field is where we work, for others its where we serve through church ministries, others at school, college and indeed where we live. The second passage - The Good Samaritan - reminds us to BE - to Be the answer to the needs because we have found the answer to the needs in Jesus. All too often like those who walked past the need, we can think its other peoples jobs, we can think we are too busy, we can think its not for us to get our hands dirty - but we are all called, appointed and sent out into the world, empowered by Him - and its a calling for us all. Finally, the latter section on Mary and Martha reminds us to RECEIVE. Martha had rushed about and said to Jesus to notice what she was doing, yet He valued Mary - who sat at His feet - and thats where we all need to be - and putting our belief into action starts with worship - and responds with our act of worship in reaching out to the needs - knowing who to point and direct people to. Mary is an important reminder to us to not do things to be noticed, but for Jesus to know that we are where He wants us to be - receiving from Him, and then going out to be Jesus!