Find a Church | A message from the Minister
First and foremost may I wish you all a very happy 2008 as I offer you greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus.
With each New Year comes new challenges and this, I believe, will be a particularly challenging year for us all in the South Ribble Circuit of the Methodist Church. We have exciting things to look forward to in the newly set up ‘Partnership Council’ as we explore what, if anything, we can do together as four churches within the “Western Parishes” of South Ribble; and there is also the very exciting Hope08 initiative which is now underway as we strive to serve the whole community of which we are apart.
Together with the Rev’d Paul Davis, I led a worship service on 30th December 2007 at New Longton which we based upon a traditional ‘Watch Night’ service. Rev’d Paul ‘borrowed’ some thoughts for the New Year and in turn, I now borrow the titles from him. I apologise that I do not know the source and acknowledge that my interpretation of the “7 Up’s” may not reflect that of the original author or indeed Rev’d Paul Davis.
I would however, like to very briefly introduce you to the “7 Up’s” of 2008 and I suggest that each time you come across a fizzy drink branded in a particular way, these “7 Up’s” may be brought to mind if not in their entirety at least partially.
1) WAKE UP. We need to come alive to the work the Lord God is doing in and through our lives and Wake Up to the way He uses us for the good of ourselves and others.
2) DRESS UP. Not in new or existing clothing but dress up with a smile. A smile is contagious and as we smile so others respond, let’s smile in 2008 to show our love of Jesus Christ as we reflect in our faces the love He has for us.
3) SHUT UP. Maybe its time we learnt to listen more and to consider what we are about to say before we say it. The Lord gave us one mouth and two ears, should we not therefore use them in that proportion?
4) STAND UP. All too often as Christian’s we tend to stay quiet and perhaps don’t really express our concerns as we should. As a people of faith, maybe it’s time to stand up for what we believe in and make our voices heard, especially as we talk of salvation in and through our Lord.
5) LOOK UP. As you walk down the street take notice of just how many people look at their shoes or the pavement as they walk. It seems not many folk want to make eye contact as that may lead to conversation. What we need to do is to look up and directly at them, in this way we can ‘open our eyes’ to the Lord and again act as His servant on earth, reaching out in mission.
6) REACH UP. Perhaps the way we communicate with God the most is through prayer and by reaching up in this way we can uphold difficult situations, people in need, our families and ourselves to God in prayer. There is a delightful way to use your hand to help you to pray. Use the palm to pray for everybody and everything you want to; the thumb, family and friends; the index finger, those who guide you; the middle finger, those in authority; the ring finger, those in need; the little finger, yourself.
7) LIFT UP. How often would you like someone to talk to but can find no –one. Part of our calling as Christian’s is to make ourselves available to those in need. Often that just entails being there for them to cry with or laugh with, just to listen or support or maybe even encourage, but simply being there is very important.
These “7 Up’s” are by no means exhaustive, but I feel that they are a good way to begin 2008 and they may even be useful to refer back to from time to time.
I pray that 2008 will bring the peace, wholeness and fulfilment of the Lord into your life.
Rev’d Derek Oldham
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