First Larne Presbyterian Church

First Larne Presbyterian Church

Workers - not Master Builders; Ministers - not Messiahs

Everyone is saying it - "We are living in unprecedented times!"

This last few weeks, hour by hour, day by day, some new announcement or event has taken us by surprise. Even the seasoned political hacks who thought they had seen it all were readily admitting that they haven't!

At a time like this, when ordinary people like us are left wondering what is going on, we need more than ever to remember that we are followers of Jesus Christ.

That means, in the first instance, we need to pray for those in authority - whether they are our preference or not.

We also need to remember who is control. Our God is sovereign. The paraphrased words of the psalmist (from Psalm 34) come to mind:

"Through all the changing scenes of life, in trouble and in joy, the praises of my God shall still my heart and tongue employ."

 

It also must cause us to reflect on what we are to do as we live our lives in these unprecedented and uncertain times. In the PCI daily devotional "TIDES" (available from the presbyterianireland website) I was reminded of something written by Oscar Romero on the subject of getting on with being disciples, even when the circumstances are uncertain and far from ideal:

This is what we are about:
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realising that.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lords grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.

So in the life of our family and work place, our congregation, our community and our nation let's keep at it! God has a purpose for us in Larne!

BEST WISHES,

Colin.