Musings from the Manse - Saint Columba URC Liverpool

Each month at Saint Columba URC Liverpool our minister the Reverend Alan Crump writes his musings from the manse and they will appear on this page.

So remind me where did 2010 go? When in a recent conversation, one of our members responded to one of my idea's saying "How far do you want to stretch us" it reminded me of the analogy with the elastic band. An elastic band is no good unless it is stretched, it is then it becomes of use. However you can overstretch it and then it breaks and becomes useless. So yes following Christ is about stretching our thinking, our doing and our being but not beyond where Christ calls us to go.

I feel I have been stretched during 2010 and feel God has been using us at St. Columba to work out ways of serving our community. We do this in a number of ways and making new relationships with members of our community has been a true blessing for us and I believe brought us a new enthusiasm. I wonder if all of us can say our relationship with Christ is stronger now than it was last Christmas? I wonder if we can look back over 2010 and see how we have followed the Christ Child of Christmas to the cross of Easter and the resurrection. It seems to me that we are experiencing resurrection at St. Columba and God is making His purpose clear to and supporting us with His Spirit.

It is important as we move into Advent, to pause and reflect, looking back to see how God's incarnation in the world in Jesus, has been with us in all we have achieved in His name in 2010. In pausing, we then look forward to Christmas and receiving Jesus in to our lives again. I wonder what these words mean to you? I wonder if the Christmas story has become just a nice story for children and not the edgy story that it truly is of God entering the world in human form, in a place not fit for humans, with the invited guests being the outcast shepherds and perhaps some star gazers. Let us once again touch the roughness of this entry in to the world and in doing so breath in the wonder of it all. So the call is to look for Christ in all that we do over this Christmas time.

May you all be truly blessed in every situation you find yourselves in this Christmas and my personal thanks for all your love and support in 2010. I look forward to sharing together with you in the work God calls us to do in 2011.

Your Friend and Servant

Alan

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