It’s a classic Monday on mission week. A few members of the team disappeared to scattered ministry opportunities (like the Hillvue breakfast club [each one of us is a brain, and an athlete etc], or a high school Christian group) while most of us hunkered down to face the next six days of the mission (hence the witty title about preparing to proclaim).
Keith encouraged us from 1 Thessalonians 1 to keep our confidence in the powerful word of God this week (he also made some metabolic predictions). Which was good to re-focus us as we turned to the tasks ahead (the bit from Thessalonians, not the prediction).
There’s a puppet play that needs to come together to communicate the significance of Easter. There are 8 kids groups to teach this coming weekend, talks to refine for various events, and for the sake of the kingdom I went to buy beachballs at Kmart. People preaching at next Sunday’s services are eager to write and refine ‘a Christian response to Isalmic extremism’. While the previous weekend’s preachers received feedback, and Ross even found the time to sneak in some greek vocab.
Meanwhile, members of the high school team taught three marathon lessons (75minutes each!). Other faithful souls set out into the local area to door-knock and invite people to reconnect with church this Easter. Some of us joined the mission prayer meeting, commiting the needs of various link missionaries to our Father’s care. While still others visited a home group, encouraging them from Philipians 1 to have their prayers shaped by Christ’s return.
Ok. So maybe I was wrong about this day being a day of preparation, it seems like we actually got a lot of work done.
And maybe the best way to sum up today is this photo of Edwina, trying to wear a puppet. It’s a metaphor for us, already well and truly covered by the tasks of the week, but also our partial transformation from being who we were to becoming agents of clear, incarnational, gospel communication. But also, in a third way, it’s an insight into those times, at the end of long day when you decide it would be a pretty good idea to try to wear a puppet.
Please pray for us as we proclaim the gospel this week.
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