03 Jan VICARS’ BLOG – January 2018 – A blessed New Year to everyone! What will our next steps be?
A blessed New Year to everyone! What will our next steps be?
Blessing is even better than happy because it means receiving God’s favour. May 2018 be a year of blessing for us all. The start of a new year is often a time for re-assessing. As we return to our routines after the festivities of Christmas, we may be putting ourselves back on track with the things we want to do in life and the way we want to live. Jesus has one clear message for us at the start of every new year, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.” If we choose to put God first in our lives, then all the other competing priorities will fall into place. Easier said than done? Of course, that is why we belong to a church where there are other pilgrims on the journey for mutual support and prayer.
In our church we are looking ahead to 2018 with excitement. The new vision for St Mary’s and St John’s, which has come together from all our thoughts, prayers and contributions, will be launched on 14th January in all our services. We have all taken part in the process of discerning God’s direction, and we will all take the next steps in living it out. It has been a privilege to be part of bringing this together and especially to see the same key themes come through again and again in words, pictures and songs. There is a great deal of continuity with the past and we are right to celebrate the great church we are, just as we did on Heritage day. We really hope we can celebrate the future that God is giving us as a church too.
Without spoiling the unveiling of the whole vision, we can reveal a little of the essence here. There are
three themes, the first concerns our journey of faith. The picture of the little house with a candle inside is a picture of the second and third themes. The house is a picture of the warmth of belonging, we hope to experience in our church. It is also shining light all around just as God wants us to shine his light all around us. Find out more about how this is going to strengthen us together and how each of us can take our next step of faith. Don’t miss the launch on 14th January and the celebration lunch on 4th February.
The idea of a big Sunday lunch for everyone in the church as a celebration has been suggested. The date will be 4th February and everyone can take a part in making it a really great celebration. Let’s put that date in the diary now!
It is a real privilege to see what God is doing here is Walton on Thames and to be a part of it. We want to be involved in this great church, worshipping a great God. Have a very blessed new year,
Yours, Revs Jonny and Cathy
| Jonny’s cracker jokes:
Q: What do you call an elephant that doesn’t matter? A: An irrelephant. Q: What do you call an alligator in a vest? |