|
DATE |
CHURCH |
SUBJECT |
PREACHER |
BIBLE
REF. |
|
30.09.07 |
All Saints Church |
Unity in Diversity |
Rev. Tony Higton
& Patricia Higton |
1 Cor 12 7-31 |
|
Unity in Diversity: a sermon for the first anniversary of Sunday
at 10, All Saints, North Wootton
LOOKING BACK (by Patricia Higton)
We are celebrating this special occasion today with a birthday
cake and a display of work done by our children.
We are so grateful to God for his blessing on this
congregation.
We began with a nucleus of 20 people from the Church in the
Woottons a year ago.
The first few months were a bit of a roller coaster, with some
packed services (Harvest, Remembrance Sunday, the Carol service,
Christingle, and later Mothers’ day, etc) and many special times
of worship, with some excellent sermons and children’s items.
There were also some difficult times, particularly as we tried
hard to incorporate an inherited group of rather unruly
youngsters who sometimes disrupted the services. But that is
now history. We also sometimes struggled with new songs and
hymns. The Prayer and Planning Group, which meets monthly, had
to feel their way as to the right pattern of services for All
Saints and their content.
Slowly the Lord began to add new regular attenders to our
nucleus, including 15 new adults - several couples, some women
attending on their own, all representing a broad age-range, some
with a church or chapel background, some with little previous
experience of going to church.
We also had a completely new start for the Young Church after
Easter. We were able to form a group of teachers and we prayed
God would send us some children! He answered that prayer,
giving us 10 children between 3-10 years old.
Gradually a real sense of being a community, part of the family
of God, has developed. All the helpers, whether up-front or
working behind the scenes, are enthusiastic and dedicated, and
there are no under-currents of ‘church politics’. The worship is
improving, the children love being here and the door of the
church is wide open to welcome others in. Some weeks the
numbers of adults are still just around the 30 mark, but we pray
for more packed services this autumn and a growing number of
people who want to join All Saints.
Throughout it all we are conscious of being just one aspect of
the Church in the Woottons, building on the good work done in
the past, and delighted of course to welcome members of St.
Mary’s congregation or the 8.00am Communion congregation
whenever they care to drop in. Above all we want to glorify our
Lord Jesus and be open to the direction of the Holy Spirit, as a
worshipping community, reaching out to this parish as time goes
on.
We give God all the glory for the good things which have
happened in the last year.
LOOKING FORWARD (by Tony Higton)
Where
are we going in All Saints?
We are aiming at both numerical and spiritual growth.
I want to challenge everyone here to invite, and hopefully
bring, one other person along to the service. My Maths may be a
bit weak, but I calculate that will double the congregation!!
Let’s see the building packed, even the balcony. Let’s believe
God to do it, using our simply efforts and hard work.
But we also want to see spiritual growth. What sort of church do
we envisage. Paul describes it in 1 Corinthians 12:7-31.
It is a church united in diversity where everyone is valuable
Paul says that every believer has a different gift or set of
gifts. They are all necessary to the welfare of the
congregation. He includes:
Wisdom: some people have the
God-given ability to speak into a situation and bring solutions
to difficulties, ways to meet challenges and meet needs.
Knowledge:
some people have the God-given ability to bring insights into a
situation to help in decision-making.
Faith:
some people have the God-given ability to be very positive and
affirming, expecting great things from God and encouraging
others to do the same.
Healing:
some people have a gift of healing whether for physical or
emotional needs.
Prophecy:
some people have the God-given ability to see a clear vision for
the future of the church (or an individual) and to bring
encouragement and mid-course correction so we can move steadily
towards that vision.
Paul mentions other gifts such as miraculous powers, tongues and
interpretation of tongues which we shall look at on a different
occasion.
It is a church where each is for all, with everyone
contributing
We were each “baptised into one body”: faith is not just an
individual matter. We all came to “drink of one Spirit” (verse
13).
The church is where “to each one the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for the common good.” (verse 7)
Our physical bodies need all our faculties if we are to function
properly. But they all fulfil different functions: the eye, the
ear, the sense of smell, the hand, the foot etc., etc. Our
muscles work in complementary ways to achieve balance, movement
and a host of other tasks.
The church is like that. The idea that the congregation employs
the man or woman up front to fulfil all or most of the ministry
of the church is unbiblical and plain silly. It doesn’t work.
No-one has all the gifts. The manor woman up front should major
on discovering, enabling and using the gifts of the
congregation.
Everyone has a contribution. I have known elderly people, unable
to do many of the things they used to do, but spending much time
praying for the church and its ministry. This is a contribution
second to none. It is crucial for the development of the church
and the effectiveness of its ministry and mission.
It is a church where all is for each and everyone is loved.
The church should be marked by respect for one another. As Paul
puts it: “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don't need you!’
And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you’”
Everyone is needed and everyone should be honoured (verses
21-24).
The church should also be marked by “equal concern for each
other” so that “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it;
if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.” (verses
25-26).
Little wonder that Paul goes on to write his beautiful
description of love (1 Corinthians 13). The church should be
characterised by love. It should be obvious when people come in
that the members love one another.
This is the sort of church we want at All Saints, and it can
happen. I’ve seen it do so in an ordinary church elsewhere.
Let’s go for it, by the grace of God and the power of his
Spirit. |
