John 20:21 “As the father has sent me, so I am sending you”

I have been Lead Minister now for about six months, and to me, they appear to have passed by very fast.  They have been busy months.  I started with Advent, and we prepared together for the birth of the Saviour.  Then there was the Christmas season and Epiphany.  We thought of the wise men carrying the good news of the birth back their native countries.

In Lent we prepared for the events of the death, passion and resurrection of our Lord.  We considered as a parish the subject of “Serving with Accountability” and we thought about both ourselves and the parish and how we serve our community of North Shoebury.

Then there was Easter.  Some of us greeted the dawn and brought the Light of Christ into the church and now we live as “resurrection people”.  Last Sunday we thought about Pentecost, and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

There has not been a great deal of “down time” in the last six months has there, but now we begin our journey through the period known as “Trinity” or “ordinary time”.  There are eighteen Sundays of Trinity.  So, what next?

Two things.  First, this is a time to reflect of the great events so far in this church year.  What does it all mean?  Were they just a series of festivals that we go through each year, or are they part of our growth as Christians?  Are we able to deepen our faith and continue on a journey growing closer to our Lord?

To help us, I think it is worth looking at just what “mission” means, both to us as individuals, and as a church.  As this month’s opening verse reminds us, we are “sent out”.

To this end, over the next few months, there will be a series of reflections on the Five Marks of Mission.  If you do not know what these are, there is an article about them elsewhere in this month’s magazine.  I encourage you to think about them, and let me know what you think about them.

During the period of Trinity this year, we will be looking at the Gospel of Luke.  It is thought that Luke was writing to someone who was an outsider; Luke was engaged in mission.  I think we should also be engaged in the same way.

God bless.

David