Communion Thoughts - (Nicola Ayres)

Way back in the Summer Holidays I emailed Nicola Ayres, a friend and member of our congregation, and asked her whether she would be willing to lead us (Wessex Christian Fellowship) in Communion on the 13th October.  The response ...

'Umm, eek, heart just sunk! Will think about it, normally I say yes cos take it that when I'm asked God normally wants me to do!'

Despite Nic's fear of speaking at the front, and concerns over getting emotional when doing so, she bravely and obediently agreed to step out of her comfort zone and lead us in The Lord's Supper.

Image Source

Last Sunday, half way through the service, Nicola stood up, took the mic ... and with an honesty and openness that can only be respected, led us on a journey that encouraged us to reflect on Christ's love and death in preparation to take the bread and the wine.

Yes, she was nervous, and as she suspected, she did get a little emotional, but her words, her passion, her thankfulness and vulnerability before the Lord were beautiful.



Today, as many of us meet once again to share at the Lord's table, perhaps Nicola's words will also inspire and encourage you ...

(Copied from Nic's notes)

'Before I start my thoughts on communion I'd like to say I wrote it a good couple of weeks ago with the intention to revisit it over the weekend, but with the exciting news of the baby, Shaun being away and the children having friends to visit it got overlooked til this morning. 

When I read my words I wondered if they were to strong and was about to edit but on my bible app the verse that flashed up upon opening was James 3:13- 'who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom.'

I'm not saying I am wise but I will be obedient and for this reason I shall read what I wrote.

This simple command that we follow most weeks is possibly at times taken for granted.

Translating communion into our daily lives is often the tricky part, daily life can often be a roller coaster of chores and needs and before we know it God hasn't entered our minds.

I'm not suggesting we break bread everyday but communion is the perfect time that we set aside where we communicate with God and thank him for the opportunity to have relationship with him. That opportunity was God's plan, him sending Jesus and Jesus following instructions even though those instructions were unjust and painful.

Image Source

I cannot imagine knowingly and willfully accepting what Jesus took on.  His death on the cross is truly beyond words and something which I am thankful for.


So, just as Jesus did in Matthew 26 we shall take bread and drink wine as we have been shown to do and I would just like to pray a prayer of repentance.

Please take my prayer as yours if you like or use this opportunity to commune with God.

Please forgive me Lord where I have failed and I am sorry for any disappointment this has caused, sorry for not spending as much time with you as I should, for not always doing the things that I should and for sometimes choosing the wrong things to do. My words will never be enough to express gratitude for what you did,  I praise you and thank you. Please continue to work in me and help me to see you in my everyday life, help me to glorify you in all that I do and may my daily coming and goings be testimony to you and what you mean to me.

Amen'

Today, be reminded that God loved you so much, that he sent his Son Jesus to the cross for you, for the forgiveness of your sins and because of Jesus' obedience and sacrifice you can once again enjoy a beautiful relationship with your Creator.  Be blessed!

The one with the soggy dog

Today has been an amazing day for me; a day shared with God. No agenda set, at least, not by me. I had a lazy morning in God's presence (are we ever not?) and made my way to Wittering for a walk along the beach. Wittering is a special place for me and I couldn't wait to hear what God would say to me whilst we walked.

God, it's over to you ...

I walked down the stones and onto the sand. The tide was out, the sun shone, and the breeze was surprisingly warm for October.  Hands in pockets, ipod playing Rend Collective into one ear, I set off.

I tried to empty my mind, to lay aside my thoughts, to allow God space to speak.

I failed. Well, sort of ...

You see, something had grabbed my attention on the walk to the beach and I just couldn't shake it. I tried, I tried really hard, but still it dominated the emptiness that I had so sincerely promised God.  'God, I'm sorry, I really want you to speak to me ...'  I tried to clear my head; it was no good. Not even my prayer of repentance had worked! My head still fought with the image. It was nothing exciting, nothing spectacular, and certainly nothing I imagined God would speak through. And yet, with each step along the beach the image seemed to become clearer, larger, louder.

Could God already be speaking? Could he have jumped ahead of schedule and started the revelation before we even got to the beach? Could he? Well, I guess as he is God, then anything is possible!!

What had I seen?

That's it.

Nothing else, just this sign outside a cafe. Not exactly profound is it? I don't even like dogs (sorry!) so why was I wasting my head space on this?

But I gave God a chance, maybe he saw something different.

'All dogs welcome' - in a cafe? And, soggy ones? Really? And they think this promotes their service?  Ew ... no thank you! I would pass right on by.

But, what about the (soggy) dog owners? I guess this might solicit a different response from them. A cup of tea with *insert dog name* allowed in instead of being tied up outside? Yes please!

And there I recognised the voice of God. Not audibly, just a prompting to allow him to take my thoughts to a new place, and a new level of understanding.

The owners of the cafe took a risk. The 'Dogs Welcome' board would have sent potential customers away. I am proof of that. And yet, this didn't stop them from placing it on the pavement. Why? Because they knew that it would stand out to others. The proprietors chose to appeal to a certain group of people. They understood the risk, and knew what they were doing.

Was this about dogs?

No. It was about making a choice, taking a risk, and acknowledging that you can't please all people all of the time.

Be clear about who God wants you to reach (serve, teach, encourage, bless...) and aim your service (passion, time, energy) towards them. Don't water it down in order to please others. Know your potential customers (clients, congregation, friends, students ....) and do all you can to provide something that will enhance, develop and change their lives. 

Know who you lead, why you lead them, and where you are leading them to!

Leave those that may walk on by for someone else; there will be another cafe down the road for them.

And now for the rest of the walk ...

The one with the snot

I have a cold.  (Sympathy welcomed!)

After a bad night's sleep (or lack of!) - I am sitting up in bed surrounded by used tissues, a bottle of Lucozade, and a tub of Vapour Rub. My voice is croaky, my head is heavy and I also have a VERY red nose! (If sympathy wasn't offered before - then perhaps now is a good time?)

Why share this delightful information with you?  Because in my sleep-deprived-semi-delirious-snot-filled state (ok, enough of that now!) I think God may be showing me something ...

'Stop that sniffing - get a tissue and blow it' - can't we all remember being told this when we were younger? I can understand it; sat in a room listening to persistent sniffing can be incredibly irritating! It is right up there with someone cracking their knuckles, biting their nails, clicking their pen, rubbing hands across synthetic trousers, *insert own irritation*.

However, there is more to it than just something that gets under our skin, or up our nose (ha!!)

Sniffing snot isn't good for us!  When we are ill snot (mucus for the proper and polite) traps debris, bacteria, viruses etc and expels them from our body.  When we get tired of blowing our nose and start to sniff we encourage germs to stick around! So why do we do it?  A few suggestions ...

• Habit - we have become so used to sniffing that we don't even notice we are doing it.

• Effort - perhaps we don't have a tissue in our pocket and it is just too much effort to go and get one.

• Appearance - blowing may cause our nose to become a little red (not a good look!)

• Discomfort - as well as turning a little red, our nose may also become sore. 

• Disgust - the snot that comes out of our nose grosses us out!

• Embarrassment - we may not want to draw attention to the fact we have a cold, and fear that blowing our nose may give it away.

Perhaps you may have other reasons for not blowing your nose up your sleeve (ha!!) but I think the above pretty much covers it.


Why share this with the world today?

Because I wonder how many of us sniff certain issues back down when we know God wants us to start dealing with them.  God knows the thoughts, attitudes, hurts, fears, experiences etc that hold us back, preventing us from living a full and purposeful life with him.  But often, when He begins to take various issues on a journey of expulsion from our lives, we sniff them back down again in a panic. 

Why would we do this when we believe God knows best?  Why would we want to do anything to get in the way of God working in our lives?  Let's revisit our 'blowing' excuses and look at them from a different perspective ...

• Habit - we have become so used to pushing the issues down again that we now 'sniff' without even realising we are doing it.

• Effort - perhaps we don't have the required tools to hand to deal with the issue. We may need to find a counselor, a trusted friend, a book to read, a journal to write, forgiveness to seek, a different route to take etc - but it may all seem like a bit too much effort.

• Appearance - we fear that dealing with our issues may alter our appearance for a while. We may become a little sensitive, distant, or find ourselves on an emotional roller coaster. 

• Discomfort - allowing difficult experiences, hurts, fears etc to surface may cause temporary discomfort.

• Disgust - we may find the issue that God wants us to deal with is surrounded by negative feelings / experiences such as disgust and guilt. 

• Embarrassment - we fear that allowing certain issues to surface may draw attention to ourselves when we would much rather keep under the radar of others and carry on as usual.

In the middle of a cold, I am sure you can understand that this sniffing analogy is particularly pertinent to me at this time. But behind the cover of a box of tissues and a very red nose lies the reality that I know God has started to bring damaging bacteria and restricting viruses out of their hiding place deep within my soul.

Colds may seem to appear in an instant - but linger for a while. I know this journey God has me on wont be cured with a sip of Lemsip. It will take time and it is likely to get a little uncomfortable.

I want to allow God to expel the rubbish that I have been holding on to - but the truth is - I really want to sniff.

Perhaps you too are a sniffer? Are you prepared to join me as I reach for a box of tissues and try to resist the temptation to sniff it all back in again? God is bigger than the colds we experience and has the ultimate cure for them - but we have to stop struggling and allow him to administer it.

And if you notice a quick sniff coming from my direction - please feel free to nudge me and give me 'the look'!