He continued this subject with his disciples. "Don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds of the air, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.....
....What I'm trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don't be afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself. (Luke 12: 22-24 & 29-32)
What a refreshing passage this is, in a world that continually tells us that our happiness depends on our looks and our lives are incomplete without the latest fashions, that our worth is all wrapped up with our appearance and that the absence of wrinkles is a must. That we must own the latest mobile technology, drive decent car, and dine like royalty day after day, whilst being aware that a trim waistline is also important, so into our already stressed out schedules we must cram the right exercise regimes and ... well the list goes on.
Into all of the pressure and the demands that modern day life throws at us Jesus words fall like a gentle rain..."Don't fuss, don't worry, you are more important... more important. So often I meet people who are simply world weary, people who have worn themselves out trying to accomplish a certain life style or look, and for families that can reach fever pitch in the search for an acceptable form of identity, we must have, or if only we had is a continued refrain...
Over the last few months Sherburn in Elmet Methodist Chapel has been working towards opening a Christians Against Poverty Centre, again and again it has been brought home to us the issues and problems that are so often faced by people who have found themselves for one reason or another in insurmountable debt. Often this is due to an accumulation of credit cards and accounts. The pressure is subtle, the lure is gilded with sugary promises and so called easy payment schemes, but one incidence of being unable to pay and the int rest accumulates and the problems begin. The promises of the adverts soon loose their gloss and glamour, the friendly "Br*ghthouse" or Store-card" rep is suddenly not so friendly...
You're worth it, the adverts tell us, just one won't hurt, then of course there is another thing, but just one...
Jesus calls us instead to a life of simpler pleasures, promising that we are worth more than all that stuff, and inviting us into a freer way of living. CAP helps people to regain control of their lives, helps them to find their value in God and not through stuff, it helps to set them free and to introduce them to a new way of living, inviting them to live freely and lightly, not abandoning their responsibilities but by being less concerned about the pressure to look successful in a consumerist society.
All of this has challenged a number of to to reconsider what we think is important, to ask whether we should alter our lifestyles in order that we can be more generous with our lives. It has caused us to question what is important and what isn't. It has caused us to reconsider our mission and our stewardship of the Church building, to re-order our priorities in order that we can do the work we are being called to.
So with our manager trained, our volunteers being drawn together, and our finances and more importantly our prayer meeting in place the CAP Centre will open on 1st July with a service of commissioning and celebration. Please pray for us, as we let out village and surrounding area know that the gospel says "You're worth it!!!"
(Picture by Tim, based on a blessing over a community)
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