Re-Learning and Moving Forward

I had a bit of a shock when my alarm woke me up this morning, as the clock said 10.03 am! So it was action stations, and we just made it to the Church on time! And I'm so glad we did, because today's service was just as inspirational as the previous ones.

First of all, we watched a short video on the Haiti earthquake and how to pray about the disaster. Here are the main prayer points we were given, which I've taken directly from the Tearfund website:

Pray for the people of Haiti as they deal with the aftermath of the earthquake, ask the Lord to comfort those who are injured and mourning.

Pray for rescue efforts to find survivors trapped in destroyed buildings and for communication links and power supplies to be restored quickly.

Pray for a swift and generous response from the international community to help this disaster-prone poor country.

Pray for the safety and protection of Tearfund staff and partners based in Haiti and that they will be able to respond as effectively as possible.

We then moved on to the child-friendly part of today's service, which focused on Jesus healing the blind man, Bartimaeus (which can be found in Mark 10 v 46-52). We sang some beautiful hymns, and then the children were invited to go and sit at the front of the Church, while the leader told them the story of Bartimaeus being healed, holding up pictures to show the children.

And at the end, the leader said to the children how amazing it was that Jesus had heard Bartimaeus calling to Him, above all the other noises and chattering of the crowd, and He had answered him. And the leader said that if the children call on Jesus, He will hear them as well. He also said that once, we were all blind, unable to see Jesus, but once we ask Jesus to heal us, we will be able to see so much more clearly.

A short while later, the children went through to their 'Kids at Church' (KatCh for short) group, and the service continued for the adults, with communion. The leader spoke about the Last Supper, and about how Jesus died on the cross so that our sins would be forgiven. The words today really spoke to me, and the weight of Jesus' actions really sank in - he died so that when I die, my many sins will be forgiven, and I will have eternal life. That is just ENORMOUS. Jesus did that for me, because He loves me!

Wow!

And so when the man brought round the bread and I took my piece, I prayed quietly and thanked Jesus for dying for me on the cross, and asked him to forgive the sins I have committed since my first communion last month.

Then the man brought round the wine, and we had to keep it until everyone else had their wine and we all drank together. And then we sang the most amazing hymn afterwards! I've found it on the internet, which I'm so pleased about, because I wanted to share it with you ...


Amazing Love, by Graham Kendrick

I was close to tears when I sang it at Church, but having sung along to it twice since finding it on the internet now I'm at home, I have shed many tears at the words of this hymn.

Amazing love, O what sacrifice,
The Son of God, Given for me,
My debt He pays, And my death He dies,
That I might live.

As I said,

WOW!

Of course, I have known that Jesus died for my sins for years, because I grew up in the Church, but today, it really sank in all over again.

Thank you Jesus!

After communion, the service moved on to today's theme, 'Run the Race'. We read from Hebrews 12 v 1-2.

My Good News Bible version is slightly different, but the message is the same:

"As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses round us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right-hand side of God's throne."

The message from the sermon was that we have to run the race towards God, keeping our eyes on Jesus the whole time. Jesus is our goal, and the race is our lives here on earth. And although there are many things in life which make the race harder, Jesus is there to help us at every step, and when we cross the finish line, the rewards will be incredible.

And so, wanting to continue my race, I spoke to the KatCh leader after the service, and briefly explained my history, saying that I want to move forward as a Christian, but am not too sure how to do that. I know that Baptism is my goal, but I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet, I mean, I DO believe in Jesus, and that He IS my Saviour, but I don't think I know enough about God yet, I want to learn more.

And so, the KatCh leader brought over the deacon who gave today's service, who took my number, and is going to get the Reverend (who was away preaching at the nearby prison today) to phone me about starting The Alpha Course!

The KatCh leader said that she has done the course several times, and said that it is great for going 'back to the basics' and is a great foundation to build upon. Then I can look towards studying for baptism. The Alpha Course will be held at the Church, in the evenings, for ten weeks, and will help me to get to know fellow churchgoers, and to make friends within the Church, which will be a great way to get involved and feel more part of the family.

I can't wait!!!