I've been thinking

Recently my son passed on a book he had read called “The cross and the lynching tree” by James Cone. I confess that only a few pages into the first chapter it is a deeply confronting read if only for the historical reality it is portraying. I will not guess where the author goes, but it has touched a nerve for me as to how the culture and attitudes of the society we live in, influence our values as followers of Jesus.

One simple example. Recently at a prayer meeting, someone was talking to God about our need to serve Him with our lives, rather than being served. In other words to give of ourselves rather than being church consumers. If we don’t like something or if the church does not “meet our needs” then we look for another church. It happens a lot in New Zealand. We even have a “Christian phrase” to explain it. “The Lord is leading me on.” That may be true sometimes, but often it is simply a polite way of explaining that we are leaving for another church.

So, for this and a variety of other reasons, we have decided that the theme of this years Church Camp, is “Love one another”. It is a simple statement but with far reaching consequences that we will explore together. I trust you will come and join us. It is going to be an interesting and enjoyable time together.