‘Our purpose is to glorify God in making the Christ of the Scriptures known through the love of God in worship, word and action’
Pulse is our monthly news sheet reflecting upon recent events, looking forward to the coming month, drawing attention to prayer needs and giving thanks for answered prayer.
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THE LEAD ARTICLE IN THE CURRENT EDITION OF PULSE JULY/AUGUST 2018
see below for current and past issues of Pulse and PulseXtra)
Dear Friends,
Life is very complicated today – especially it seems for young people. Later in this edition is the story of Shayanti’s baptism… a wonderful occasion that I am really sorry to have missed (the service coincided with my time in England with Josh taking his A levels). With roots in India and her husband’s roots in Russia, both working at Cambridge with an international set of friends, many of whom are also living transitional lives involved with the university… it’s a long cry from popping along to see the local vicar to organise a baptism! But again, the wonder is that when people gather in the name of Jesus to celebrate and accept personally His saving work for and in us – well, it’s like the world fades in to soft focus and the Kingdom of God is made powerfully visible. The international nature of this particular baptism may have some
parallels with the World Cup (dare I say) – so many countries of the world gathering together to
enjoy sport which draws the world a little closer; but there are some important differences! And maybe these differences give us the contrast between the best of this world and the wonders of the Kingdom of God that Jesus is building through and with us.
Firstly, we don’t have to qualify!! The wonder of God’s Grace means that the door is open to every single person on the planet; no matter where they started out in life or where they have ended up; no matter whether they have known success or been hurt by their failure or the failure of others. All can be healed, forgiven and planted firmly within the eternal life that Jesus secured for us.
Secondly. We don’t have to beat others to stay in!! in fact, those who are last will be first. This is the upside-down beauty of God’s dealing with us. We are accepted for who we are, where we are and given the Holy Spirit’s mighty yet gentle power to learn and grow in His ways. We don’t need to prove or feel ourselves better than others. Rather, we learn to love and accept others; and loving means that we want others to have the very best for them. God’s Kingdom values of blessing and generosity releases us to share with each other and live in peaceful thankfulness for the goodness in our lives. Which leads us to the third comparison…
Thirdly, following Christ is not about getting rich in the wealth of the world. In some ways, it feels like the tremendous amount of money that flows around the football scene taints it – and we know of the scandals that have followed this potentially uniting festival of sport. Following Jesus means travelling lightly with regard to material gain; seeing the gifts we are given as gifts to be used for the glory of the Kingdom and care of others as well as meeting the needs of “our daily bread”.
So those who attended Shayanti’s baptism and supported her during this wonderful occasion may not have had tickets to the world cup(!) but the truth is that they experienced something far more wonderful and lasting in that beautiful ceremony in the sea.
Over the next couple of months ICS Seasonal Chaplains will be coming to Corfu to work around the island, based, in Gouvia with the hope making connections that will encourage others to take their own next step into the Kingdom of God. Please hold these people in your prayers as they prepare their mission here in July and August. They are KELVIN & JEAN WOOLMER, IAN & MELANIE GREENHALGH, CHRIS & JO PEARSON, CHARLOTTE ELEY & PAUL MIDDLETON. And let’s pray that we will see His Kingdom Come through their work.
With every blessing,
Jules
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Our monthly news sheet
Past issues of Pulse
June 2015