Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Could God use ME?
My local church is a lively and caring Church of England in Uxbridge, a suburb of London, called St Margaret's. They have just launched their own website at www.uxbridgeparish.org
On Tuesday lunchtime we have a short Songs of Praise service, modelled on the popular BBC TV programme whose format is well-loved hymns interspersed with true-life stories and inspiring thoughts. At the Uxbridge Songs of Praise today, we heard a moving testimony of two Irishmen who had been deadly enemies on different sides of the religious divide that existed there for many decades, but who were reconciled after both had come into a living relationship with Jesus Christ.
The most inspiring part of the service for me, though, was Pastor June's vivid illustration of how the Lord can take even the most badly ruined life and make something new and wonderful from it. She was commenting on the loving way that the risen Lord Jesus restored His disciple Peter to hope and purpose in life, after Peter had denied three times that he even knew Jesus before the crucifixion. (You can read this story in John's Gospel, Chapter 21. If you want an easy way of reading the Bible online, go to www.biblegateway.com)
To illustrate just how much Jesus wants even now to heal and forgive even you or me, however badly we might have "messed up" in life, June took out a delicious chocolate muffin and showed it to the congregation, asking who would like to eat it! Of course, most hands went up then. But the next thing June did was to squash the muffin with her dirty fingers, take a bite out of it, and then trample it underfoot .....
"NOW does anyone want this muffin??" asked June. Naturally, everyone in the congregation shook their head to say "No way!"
The point of this, June explained then, was that Jesus wants you, even if you feel that your life is like that badly damaged and unappetising muffin, and - even better - He can and will make you better than new if you only ask Him.
On Tuesday lunchtime we have a short Songs of Praise service, modelled on the popular BBC TV programme whose format is well-loved hymns interspersed with true-life stories and inspiring thoughts. At the Uxbridge Songs of Praise today, we heard a moving testimony of two Irishmen who had been deadly enemies on different sides of the religious divide that existed there for many decades, but who were reconciled after both had come into a living relationship with Jesus Christ.
The most inspiring part of the service for me, though, was Pastor June's vivid illustration of how the Lord can take even the most badly ruined life and make something new and wonderful from it. She was commenting on the loving way that the risen Lord Jesus restored His disciple Peter to hope and purpose in life, after Peter had denied three times that he even knew Jesus before the crucifixion. (You can read this story in John's Gospel, Chapter 21. If you want an easy way of reading the Bible online, go to www.biblegateway.com)
To illustrate just how much Jesus wants even now to heal and forgive even you or me, however badly we might have "messed up" in life, June took out a delicious chocolate muffin and showed it to the congregation, asking who would like to eat it! Of course, most hands went up then. But the next thing June did was to squash the muffin with her dirty fingers, take a bite out of it, and then trample it underfoot .....
"NOW does anyone want this muffin??" asked June. Naturally, everyone in the congregation shook their head to say "No way!"
The point of this, June explained then, was that Jesus wants you, even if you feel that your life is like that badly damaged and unappetising muffin, and - even better - He can and will make you better than new if you only ask Him.
# posted by JillVic @ 2:26 PM 
