Dear Friends
In the last three issues of The Link we have been exploring the theme of the President and Vice-President of Conference for this Connexional year – ‘Day by Day – exploring the rhythm of mission and discipleship’. So far, we have considered ‘Pray’, ‘Read and Reflect’ and ‘Give thanks’.
In this issue, we look at ‘Act’.
What do we understand about this word? Below are some suggestions, with the help of a dictionary and a Bible…..
The process of doing or performing something, such as the act of thinking about things:
Grouped under the Methodist Church’s ‘Our Calling’ statements, there are a number of things we would like to do in our revised Church Action Plan, our vision for mission in this Church. You may have seen this on the Church Noticeboard.
We have to move from thinking about them to doing something for a particular purpose:
We have already begun to do some of the things that we said we would do, and it’s down to each and every one of us to take God’s Word to others and help in the mission of the Church. I wonder if you have thought of any ways in which you would be able to ‘Act’?
To act in a stated way (acting like..) – here is a biblical example:
Luke 6:46-48 New Revised Standard Version
46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you? 47 I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. 48 That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built.[a]
to have an effect… (to make a difference)
1 John 3:17-19 NRSV
17 How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister[a] in need and yet refuses help?
18 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. 19 And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him
to act, to get something done – something that you do:
2 Corinthians 3:12 NRSV
12 Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness,
or Act, a specialised law – the Ten Commandments?? Exodus 20: 1-17.
Of course, we have the examples of the Apostles in the Book of Acts.
The Connexional booklet quotes Matthew 25: 37-40 and also the hymn “when I needed a neighbour…”
So, I pray that we have plenty to think about here, in the life of the church and in our individual lives.
May we go through these next two months thinking about our actions – what we do, what we may do, and what God is asking us to do – and Act!
God bless,
Ann
The booklet ‘Day by day’ is available from The Methodist Church (www.mph.org.uk or 0845 07 8220) and can be downloaded from the Methodist Church website Methodist.org.uk (see ‘Prayer and Worship’ tab, then ‘Day by Day’).