One of the first things I did today was telephone my parents, who had sent me a package for today. As my son says, I can no longer say that I am a half century older. The odometer has clicked on.

To make life a little more interesting, today is the start of daylight saving in New Zealand, which means that my ability to work out what times things are in North America & Europe will be “out” for a week or so.

Today, Barry talked about a recent conference he had been at in the UK about Congregational growth. And when he heard from the UK (we went from four to eight people! The church is now a skateboard park and at least people are coming!!!) he tried to feel humble. Instead he was smug. In case you are wondering, this is a photo of Batch a couple of weeks ago.

What Barry used as his text today was:

Philippians 2:1-4¹If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, ²make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. ⁴Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others

This was to confront his feelings that he was running a perfectlyu successful little church. Look how it has grown, from 12 people we now fill the hall. Look what our people do.

Look at me boast, instead of thinking others were greater than me, and encouraging them…

But what does one do for encouragement? I’m 51, well and truly hit by the ugly stick, and reminded daily my my quite geeky and uncool progeny that I’m decrepit, old, and definately not with it. Well, there are two things that ere my duty: to be steadfast and to do good.

Psalm 108

1 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make melody. Awake, my soul!2 Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.3 I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples, and I will sing praises to you among the nations.4 For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens, and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Acts 9:36-39

³⁶Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. ³⁷At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. ³⁸Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” ³⁹So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them.

via Daily Lectionary Readings — Devotions and Readings — Mission and Ministry — GAMC.

We should be steadfast in the faith, and in doing good. As one moves on in life, this does not end. Dorcas may not have been a young woman — but she did good, and all the pauper women (for if you were a widow, no man would provide for you) wept — showing what they had been given by her.

We should steadfastly encourage, defending the younger when they are doing good and making errors (for if we do anything, we will make errors. We are not God), to being open handed, generous (of money, prayer and time). I’m not that good at this — I provide for my family but tend not to be as hospitable as I ought.

And we should not see the newbies as below us. Instead, their fervour should encourage our fervour. None of us are without faults. None of us are perfect. And when we reflect on even the broken beauty of this world. We should be humbled, and give God the Glory.

UPDATE

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