The Prodigal God
Sunday, 10 January 2010
Up until a few weeks ago my lawn was brown and dead. One good
thing about having very little rain is that you don't need to mow
very often. With the rain and warm weather over the last few weeks
my front lawn has now started to grow out of control and has never
been greener. As I was mowing this last week my lawn was so thick
that my mower broke down when I was only three quarters of the way
through. And now just a few days later it is ready to be mown
again! It made me rethink the meaning of that saying "it's as slow
or boring as watching the grass grow".
Of course the bible compares our lives to grass on a number of
occasions. One of the best known that came to my mind was Isaiah
40:7-9.
The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of
the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass
withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands
forever."
How true it is that while all else fades away it is the word
of God that stands forever and we can have great confidence in the
promises contained within God's word and the transforming truth of
the Gospel explained through God's word. The bible is far more than
just an ancient text...it is the active and living word of God
(Hebrews 4:12) to be applied to our lives every day so that we
might grow and flourish in Him. One of the best ways this can occur
is in community with other believers.
For this reason I am very excited about "The Prodigal God", a new
church wide six week connect group study and sermon series we are
commencing in February. This is an opportunity for every person
from the youngest to the oldest to grow in God as together we
explore God's word to us through the story of the prodigal son (and
the older brother) in Luke 15. Whether you are still searching
spiritually with questions or you are mature Christian I believe
you will find great value in this study and truths to apply to your
life. We are even hoping to release related study material for
children so that families can together discuss and apply God's
word.
Dr Timothy Keller, author of "The Prodigal God", is an excellent
bible teacher, Pastor and Christian writer and I am praying that
many people will take hold of this opportunity at the beginning of
a new year to join a connect group and be part of this great
series. See the insert in your newsletter today to sign up and
order your copy of the book.
We are also very excited to be launching our new BridgeFamilies
ministry in 2010 that will work in close conjunction with the
existing BridgeKids ministries. Don't miss the Colin Buchanan
Concert and mini fair on the 6th February to launch
these ministries as well as a special Family Service on Sunday the
7th February. Stay tuned for more details in the coming
weeks.
Finally, don't forget to keep spreading the word about the Garage
Sale. It's now just 3 weeks away on Saturday January 30. See the
insert in your newsletter for more info and how you can be part of
all God is doing.
God is already opening some great opportunities for us as a church
in 2010 to grow more deeply in Him and reach out to our community
more effectively than ever before...and this is just the beginning.
I am excited at all He wants to do in and through us as we seek Him
for the year and decade ahead.
Nathan