It's been a long day! Spent with participants in our Worship4Today Course, which has been running since last September. Today was workshop day: 5 of them, with hardly a space between them. Not surprising we were all pretty tired by the end of it. The first workshop was on 'worship leading', where we distinguished between being 'worship leader' and 'lead worshipper.' How to be offering worship along with the congregation rather than being their 'conductor'. If there is one word which I think summarises the way we 'do church' today it is the word together. For years I have quoted the saying, It is not the job of the people to help the vicar run the church; it is the job of the vicar to help the people change the world. In practice, that can be quite a culture shift in some places.
So we find that tomorrow's readings emphasise partnership, beginning with Jesus' instructions to his disciples to make disciples of all nations...The words were spoken to a group. Our main study tomorrow is of Acts 16, where Paul and Silas find themselves in Philippi, in prison for causing a disturbance. After a miraculous release (an earthquake of liberation) they are cared for by Lydia and her friends in her house-church. It is clear that the apostles can only fulfil their ministry because other Christians are fulfilling theirs. So, says McLaren, we are partners in an earthquake of liberation...injustice at every level of society will be confronted, and people at every level of society will be set free! (McLaren p232)
Last weekend, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York released a letter to help all Christians reflect on how they might approach Election Day, and consider the choices before us. You can find it via the Church of England website: https://www.churchofengland.org/
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