Word Wall: Christ-centred.

As I sat in the empty stillness of the church welcome area, I turned and looked left over the sofa cushions, my eye caught by a sudden glare of light. The sun had reached the back of the building as it travelled its native path towards the west. Rays were streaming through windows behind the closed door of the prayer room. 

The reason I know this is because the prayer room door has clouded glass panels that form the shape of a cross, granting access to the eager sunlight which stretched further into the seating area. For a short space of time, while the earth rotated on its axis, the sun aligned with that glass cross and blazed vivedly, directly through the place of prayer and out into the place of welcome beyond. 

The photo may not capture it very well but it was a moment -  a moment of wonder and delight at being given this sight of a blazing cross, an all too fleeting sight of sun and cross conjoined. A picture of light flowing from its source, streaming through a place of prayer to permeate a space of community and welcome. 

And there, just to the left of the door was the wall of words with ‘Christ-centred’ in the midst, the words that were already next on the list of potential blog posts. The sight of the light and the cross with the sense of encounter and wonder, readily became the connective substance between word, thought and meaning. 

To be a Christ-centred people is to be the place where God’s light floods through the cross and out into the world. The Light flowing from the Father, through the divine/human meeting place and suffusing the ordinary spaces of life where people gather to be together in his name. The prayers of God’s family align with his heart and become an artery for love and life to flow into the places beyond. 

When we are given a glimpse of cross shaped radiance, we are filled with reverence, awe and a deep sense of gratitude. None of the other words on the wall will have any true value or meaning to us or to the world if they do not flow directly from this enounter. Jesus is at the heart of every word. He is the reason for all of them, each one a blessing and a gift. He is the connection at the centre.

My attention was held captive for the time it took for the light to shift from left to right and soon it was time to go.

Light is not something we can take in our hands to capture and possess, neither are encounters such as this. We are simply to enjoy being present and blessed, knowing that we are greatly loved and drawn continuously back to the cross of Christ, our centre. 

‘Everything comes from him;

Everything happens through him;

Everything ends up in him.

Always glory! Always praise!

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Romans 11:36 (Msg)  

Word Wall: Welcome

It was easy to choose the first word from the word wall to begin the series. I think it is entirely appropriate to focus on the word,

Welcoming

In fact, one of the first things that you cannot fail to notice as you enter the building is the word welcome.

These seven letters emblazoned across the wall are my favourite feature in our whole church building. They greet you on a Sunday morning to the welcome area where you will most likely be greeted by a member of the welcome team.

We use the word welcome a lot!

It’s a word that signifies greeting, communicating gladness on a person’s arrival. A door is held open for you, you are greeted with a warm smile and heartfelt handshake. 

I love that a huge visible welcome is quite literally extended to one and all. No matter who walks through the doors, there is always an outsized welcome, filling the potential gaps of missed handshakes or overlooked introductions that can easily happen.  

This is surely the very core of the gospel. The good news is that we are welcomed! We are invited in! We are graciously and joyously received in love into God’s family through belief in Jesus.

There is no story in the Bible that I can think of this moment that shows more how God welcomes us, than the prodigal son. The Father doesn’t just stand in the porch, holding the door open, waiting with reserve. No, he opens the door wide and runs towards his beloved child. He welcomes him home with so much more than a handshake. I imagine him embracing his son with tears in his eyes. He puts his arm around his child’s shoulders and walks him back through the door and into the place where he belongs. 

‘We’re going to feast! We’re going to have a wonderful time! My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!’ And they began to have a wonderful time.’ Luke 15:24

If this is how we personally experience welcome then this is what we will want others to experience too - a welcome that ushers them home with feasting and celebration.

If you are part of your church welcome team, then be encouraged because I think that what you do is hugely symbolic, speaking volumes. To welcome people into a church on a Sunday morning is to welcome them into the presence of God to worship him, thank him, celebrate him in vibrant community with those who know what it is to live welcomed. What a wonderful job!

Please do note, I can appreciate all this while not actually being on the welcome team myself. My  social anxiety levels are far too high in a large busy foyer to be of much use in that area of service but I think all you official greeters and welcomers are marvellous.

This does not, however, mean that us introverts are either exempt or incapable of extending a welcoming hand to others. Jesus extends his welcome not just from the doors of our churches but from the doors of our lives, the places where his Spirit lives. In every act of love, there is an invitation, with every word of truth, the door is held open, every morsel of kindness, grace and forgiveness is a taste of the banquet that is offered.  

To be welcoming encompasses who we are and everything we aspire to be - to have the open, expansive heart of God who welcomes radically and counter-culturally. 

To embrace the meaning of the word welcome is to embrace everyone Jesus is ushering over the threshold of his Kingdom open house. 

Introduction To The Word Wall

Sometimes things just pop into my head, usually inspired by something I've noticed, something I've seen or heard during the course of the day or week. It takes me through a little mental gate, down a path, one stepping stone thought to the next until it takes the form of a shareable blog post. It's not necessarily a bad approach, in fact it has its advantages, but I would like to try and incorporate a more structured or planned element to writing, at least for a while and see how that pans out. While there are writable worthy moments in life that simply happen and can in no way be anticipated or predicted, it might not be a bad thing for me to knuckle down and attempt to be more organised, more disciplined, think about things in advance, not just write and post. 

In other words, I’m experimenting. I hope you’re happy to bear with me? 

So, things to write about then. Hmm. Jump in any time with suggestions, that would be marvellous. I did however, come up with one idea.