Reflection

‘You are the salt of the earth… ‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.     

Matt.5:13-14

Today, we come to our fourth core value – another seed we are sowing in our garden. It is Transforming Community. We believe that one of the main things we are called to do as a missional people is to see our local community transformed, because of what God has done, and is doing, in and through us. We experience God’s love and then we express that love in multiple ways to those around us. The first descriptor we wrote for this is:

We express the love of God in real and tangible ways to people through various, diverse and creative expressions in our local community, and in our everyday worlds.  

We get to express God’s love in multiple and creative ways. We can do this together and as teams through various groups and projects that make a direct impact on people’s lives – Melody Makers, Jubilee Friends, CAP, Bikers’ Breakfast, Luncheon Club, Happy Café, No Limits and more. These contribute to a kind of witness that Jesus described as a city of light on a hill (Matt.5:14-16). There are some things that we can do, and some people we reach, only by working together in groups like this. And it’s not just about managing a project; it’s about creating a culture. A culture where people feel loved, accepted, valued and enabled to go on a journey of transformation. In the context of this culture where love is made real, we also find we have built the relational bridges to then share with people about the faith that motivates us.

We can equally play some part in community transformation as individuals in our everyday worlds. This is reflected in what Jesus says about being the salt of the earth (Matt.5:13) or seed in the field of the world (Matt.13:37-38). We may not always see the immediate direct impact in terms of transforming community, but, as our lives carry the distinctive love and life of the kingdom, we have to trust the power of the seed to see a gradual transformation of culture. And in the process we may well get the opportunity to see individual’s lives transformed.

In both ways, we see the love of God made real in the real world.

Prayer

Father, thank you that your kingdom has come and is coming into our world. And thank you that you use us to advance your kingdom culture into our world, to bring heaven to earth. Help us to be faithful, wise, compassionate and strong as continue to do this. Amen.