My Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
The Spirit of the Exalted Christ be with you!
We bring the “curtains” down on our activities for the “Month of Methodism”. “Thanks be to God!” I trust that we have been engaged in the various activities at the various levels of the Church, virtually and in person, and that we were blessed. Note, however, that being blessed is always a call to action. Now that we have received, we give.
Our heritage is grounded in the Scriptures and the wider Church. On Thursday last, the Church Universal celebrated the Festival of the Ascension. The Festival of the Ascension or Ascension Day is celebrated on the 40th day after the Resurrection and is one of the minor festivals of the Church. Although minor and often passed over, the Festival is one of great importance. The ascension of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, points to us that of the creeds that speaks to his ‘ascension into heaven and his exaltation to the right of God his Father’. What this means is that our Saviour becomes “Lord of lords and King of kings” having defeated death and the grave for us. The all-powerful God in Christ becomes available to us and allows us to draw upon this power in our experiences of life’s realities.
Having received the “blessed assurance” of God’s promised presence through the Holy Spirit, the Church stands as a testament to that Presence. In your daily struggles of life, do you have that assurance? With the many “wars and rumours of wars” that are wreaking havoc on the world, including our beloved Federation, are we resting assured that “our God reigns”? How are we, resting in that assurance” engaging the “powers that be” to make a more just world?
Have a “power-full” week,
Your pastor and friend,
Mark S Christmas
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