It’s great to be back!

Thanks for the warm welcome on Sunday as Nicky and I returned to church after 11 weeks away on Long Service Leave. If you missed it, we spent the majority of our time walking the Camino Frances from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Finisterre, across Northern Spain. After more than 900 kilometres you’ll be glad to know that we still love walking and we still love each other. But we are also very thankful to be back among you all and to continue the work of growing wholehearted disciples of Jesus. 

There are lots of people to thank and I am aware that the whole staff team has carried some extra load in my absence. They are all awesome and I continue to commend them to your prayers. But I want to express my special gratitude and thanks to Gerard O’Brien who led our church with grace, calm and thoughtfulness. A number of people have expressed to me their appreciation for Gerard’s leadership and the way he was able to help in a variety of joyful and tricky situations. Praise God. I want to also express my thanks to Gary O’Brien who led Tuesday Church in my absence and was both warmly received and appreciated.

I am determined to spend the next few weeks listening and observing as I learn afresh where our church is up to and what God has been doing in our midst. If you have things you would like to share with me, please do. I have been asking all the groups of people I meet with, “What is something you would like me to know about the last three months?” I’d love to hear your answer.

Can I leave you with a little reflection that I have had since the end of my leave? We read through the NT together and it finishes with these words: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.” (Revelation 22:21) It struck me afresh that the whole Bible finishes with a note of grace. The final word, the final note, is that of grace. It’s at least a reminder that neither life nor ministry was ever meant to run on our own strength. And that’s the posture I want to carry forward: not striving to prove myself or make myself or design a better self or even compete with other selfs, but rather, I want to lean prayerfully and daily on the sufficiency of God's grace for life and for ministry. Grace got me here. Grace brought me home. Grace goes with me tomorrow. And that’s better than any holiday.