Are You Awake?

What an awesome Y@P takeover service on Sunday!  I am excited by the growth and courage of our whānau rangitahi and their growing spiritual input into the wider church.

Jesus challenged me through them.  One repeated theme was the generosity, acceptance, and care that they are becoming known for. Does that sound familiar? It’s one of our church values. Another one is how Awake they are to the work of Jesus in their lives and those around them.  What did you see? If you weren’t there, watch it HERE.I am currently studying the book of Jonah through The Bible Project Classroom. They have 8 outstanding courses – free.  

In the story, everyone appears Awake to God, except Jonah. The sailors, the people of Nineveh. But despite Jonah’s status as ‘chosen’ by God, he repeatedly fails to respond to God’s compassion in a way that causes him to care for others - in fact the opposite! But God uses this very reluctant person, and his minimal and resentful effort, and the result is that people respond to God. They are Awake and ready to hear and respond.  

As Christians, we can fall into the trap of thinking that no-one wants to hear.  I’ve heard people lament the youth culture of today, and how far they are from God. But I’m seeing something very different. They are Awake and ready to respond. Through them, I am challenged to re-think how I engage with people.  What if I assumed that every person, I engaged with was Awake and ready to hear?

Our vision is of a “vibrant, growing family of faith participating with Christ to transform lives and communities” – I saw a glimpse of that on Sunday, and a strong hint of how it might come about. Did you?

Adam