October's Prayer Vision

Someone asked me last week, what 3 things should I be praying for that are on the heart of the church. I thought the answers I gave were worth sharing. We should pray .....

* Lord, keep me attentive to God (watchful) and help me to guard that sacred flame that is within me. And if it is extinguished help me not to be satisfied with just sitting in Church or the housegroup and letting things pass me. I want that flame rekindled. So firstly, restoring that piritual passion and for those who have that passion, to try and impart that to one another and see that flourish.

* Looking outwards. That we feel we are here for a purpose and have a mandate as a church to reach out and touch our neighbours. Praying, ‘who is my neighbour?

People I work with, our families, people we have close contact with and certainly people on Batemoor/Jordanthorpe. And if we haven’t got a heart for Batemoor/Jordanthorpe, we are still called to be light and salt and need to find a place of activating mission in this coming year. Opportunities are going to be given to us, even if not in our church there will be opportunities in the areas we live in Sheffield to be involved in local community mission and that will be great.

* How we respond to one another in the church. We are a diverse bunch and we are always under attack in our relationships. At times we are awkward and we can talk a good talk about this, sing the songs and pray the prayers, but it comes into practise when we have to live with people who irritate us and get under our skin and at times annoy us with what they say or do. We are human and are failing people at times but if we can’t accommodate one another and have grace for one another in that and find space for one another in that, and our only response is to be closed in on ourselves and hold tightly to what we have got, then we are going to lose ground. We have to say we will bless those we don’t get on well with and create the space for people to come forward and take part of what I feel is mine. The early church, at the time of the move of God’s Spirit had all things in common and that includes ministry. Ministry is to be held in common. God gives gifts for the common good, it is for sharing. It is not to feed our own egos or self-importance, but to create space and feed, bless and inspire others and, if we can do that as a church, we will punch much harder than our weight, and punch a lot of holes in the darkness.