Pastoral Page (Sunday, 17th October 2010)

Many, many thanks for the kind words and prayers during this time of loss. It has been a privilege to be a part of John's Dad's life. This week has truly been a celebration of his life. He showed us what it means to live a life of faith, and he died enfolded in God's peace and our love. Bless you, Dad!

This week is also week five of our journey into worship in 'The Hour That Changes Everything', the week when we consider this phrase of William Temple's definition of worship: to worship is 'to purge the imagination by the beauty of God'. I love what John had to say about it: 'If we are to envision the world as God desires it, as Jesus pictured it in his teachings of the Kingdom, we need imagination. If we are to embrace the hope that Christ offers us, and live out the faith to which we have been called, we need imagination. But, if we are to use our imaginations as effective instruments of transformation, we need them to be purged – refined and made pure – through encounters with God’s beauty.'

Yours in Christ's service
Debbie