My last preaching Sunday at the Railway Town Baptist Church for this academic year, and the Lectionary invited us to ponder the healing of Naaman and the sending by Jesus of the 70/72. As I pondered the readings, I was conscious of how often the word 'go' and its derivatives arose, and so this formed the basis for my reflection 'Off You Go'. It didn't feel to me like the greatest thing I've ever prepared, but by the mysterion that is the movement of God's Spirit it seemed to land, and land with a variety of folk who sought me out to thank me for the service.
When I arrived almost two years ago, the average attendance was around thirty people, now we are regularly passing forty.
When we chose to close our Sunday School and try something else, we were down to one or two children; now most weeks we have around half a dozen.
When I arrived we were operating on a deficit budget, now our deficit is even bigger, as some generous givers have 'been promoted to glory' and our finances are increasingly precarious. Yet we keep on keeping on.
Soon, I'll begin my summer leave, and then we'll move into our final year of travelling together (this was a three year appointment) and must seek to discern what the next 'off you go' will look like.
According to the gospel attributed to Matthew, just before he left them to get on with it, Jesus said something like to his 'Newly Accredited Sent-ones'... "Off you go, to places close at hand, and far away; share my story, do my work, dunk those who want to join our movement; and remember, whatever happens, in good times and tough times, even though you can't see me, and probably won't be aware of me, I'm with you every step of the way, until, together, we reach journey's end."
And it's from the old we travel to the new - keep us travelling along with you!
