As promised yesterday, let’s start off with a short review of last evening’s Team Gathering!
We had an amazing turnout for such a yucky icy night. 18 people gathered for food,
fellowship and worship. After a great dinner with lots of delicious food we enjoyed some good worship music, a mixture of Carols, Hymns and Praise Songs, accompanied by 2 guitars and djembe, then Rod Stilwell, our Speaker lead an interactive talk around Matthew 2: 1-11.
fellowship and worship. After a great dinner with lots of delicious food we enjoyed some good worship music, a mixture of Carols, Hymns and Praise Songs, accompanied by 2 guitars and djembe, then Rod Stilwell, our Speaker lead an interactive talk around Matthew 2: 1-11.
Rod challenged us to look at the passage from the perspective of the emotions and feelings of the main characters. We began with Herod, then the Magi, followed by Mary and Joseph and even Jesus and his possible emotions as a toddler. It was a refreshingly different take on a well-known passage, offering much food for thought.
The evening concluded with a time of open prayer and more singing. We sang one of my all time favourites “Be Thou My Vision” to a sort of “folky” modern beat and I smiled through a few tears, thinking of the different venues in which I had sung this well known hymn; both my parents’ funerals, many Church Services, and now here in this cosy room filled with earnest young people, singing from their hearts.
All in all, a really lovely evening.
This morning began with a call from Pippa to offer me a lift (yay!) and we got there in plenty of time for me to set up the Collage activity I was to lead for our Intergenerational Service.When we broke into groups it was not surprising that all the children ended up “helping” with the Collage but there were several adults too, which was great and the visual interpretation of the “Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles” turned out really well.
Walking home, I thought about the ways in which the events of the past week have come together this weekend to provide a “road map” and a light for my path ahead.
I have been profoundly struck by the realisation that what we do in this Ministry is to carry out the message of Epiphany. We are all called to “Manifest Christ to the World” and our “world” is the world of Day Camps: -the host churches and communities, urban, suburban, rural and home to many races and cultures.And our Team Members, Billet households, all the many helpers who comprise this “world”.
Just as the light of the Star drew the Magi to Christ, He himself has now become that light in our hearts and lives. Like the Magi, we are called to take the knowledge of His presence out into all the World.