Methodist Circuit
The turning of the year
Happy New Year to you all!
The image is a reminder both of what happened in the last months of 2021 and the continuity of life that seems to remain going forward into 2022. The turning of the year always seems to offer the opportunity of both remembering the past and looking forward with some hope...
On the opening Sundays in January, we will be sharing in the annual Methodist Covenant Service which offers us an occasion in the context of worship to make confession and to realign ourselves with God's purposes.
At the end of 2021 a friend shared these thoughts from Fr Richard Rohr...
In a world of fault lines and fractures,
we stand in a place where opposites come together,
awaiting the birth of what is to come.
If you are doubting, welcome.
If you are healing, welcome.
If you are angry at injustice, welcome.
We await a new genesis,
one more beginning in a series of starts,
trailing backwards in time to the very first day.
If you are afraid, welcome.
If you are joyful, welcome.
If you are longing to belong, welcome.
God's generous rhythm of life, death, resurrection,
moving in and through all things,
the very breath and source of the cosmos itself.
Our pathways converge and continue,
each one of us a catalyst for loving action.
We, a community of saints.
Conspire.
Breathe with us.
The concept of breathing with God (one might say of breathing in, or with, the Holy Spirit (ruach in Hebrew means breath and spirit) can be a helpful way of getting our bodies to be relaxed so that we can concentrate on praying, reading and listening to God. This year will, I am sure, bring its own share of challenges, but also some opportunities to share our personal stories with different parts of our community.
In March we will be welcoming the Revd Trey Hall to the circuit to come and share some ideas of how we can "tell the stories of Jesus" to a contemporary audience across the age range and with different life experiences.
