LOOKING OUT 

 Last week’s Gospel reading from Mark 1: 9 – 15 caught my attention. This short, sharp report provided me with several challenges. You will remember that this reading recorded the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River when the Voice of God spoke the unforgettable words: “You are my Son, the Beloved: with you I am well-pleased”.

 Shortly thereafter, following forty days in the wilderness, Jesus commenced His ministry in Galilee. Very early in this ministry Jesus was at the house of Simon and Andrew. There He healed Simon’s mother-in-law and other folk. The next morning is instructive. Rather than returning to Simon’s house from His place of prayer, he made it clear that He needed to move on to the next village. Perhaps, Jesus had a motto like “let’s keep moving, we have work to do”.

 One commentary I read says: “The challenge of the Gospel is never to “play it safe” whereby we hide in the security of nostalgia (the good old days), or the comfort of the familiar (I like it the way it is), or the assurance of our status (I’m all right Jack; I don’t need to change).

 No, Jesus is calling us into the unknown. And that is exactly the situation West Epping and Carlingford churches are in now. Our local suburbs may not have changed physically, but they have changed dramatically from a demographic perspective. As we enter into a combined ministry and mission partnership, both congregations need to wrestle with the following issue:

   -- Will we cling to the past and follow the ways adopted in 1977 (at the inauguration of Church Union)? or

  --· Will we be bold and shape the future in new ways that reflect the needs of the world we live in now?

Which option will we adopt?         

                                                        ～ NRM