We should have put this summary of our time together onto our blog a couple of weeks ago – so apologies all!

Steve and Harry led us in worship, centred around their recent trip to Nepal.

After starting with words from Psalm 19 about all creation praising God, we were shown an image of the Fishtail mountain (a sacred mountain to the Nepalese) and then Harry showed us a picture he had taken of an elephant’s skin. This had been awe-inspiring for him and Steve explained how other teenage boys on the trip had had similar responses to the elephants on their short safari in the jungle.

When they  bathed the elephants, they bowed down and raised their arms to touch as if to worship.

As Steve explained, so much in our Post-Enlightenment thinking dulls us to the wonder of God’s Creation (rather it objectifies, analyses, dissects and exploits it). Creation speaks to us of the creator if only we have our ears attuned and a worldview to recognise this.

In the light of this we were sent out of the bandstand to take photos of things in nature that spoke to us of God. The wonderful thing about the feedback session was that everyone had something poignant and significant to share whether it was about the sun, sky, a red-leafed bush, a daffodil, blossom, shadows… Every contribution was different and truly inspiring. Yet again – the joy of meeting in amongst nature in the changing seasons and weather…

We prayed then for Nepal and for others….For Steven and Bina, Ashok, the Anandaban Leprosy Hospital…. All in need and all who make a difference there… and we named others known to us who need Jesus now before sharing bread and wine, using words written by Steve:

An invitation to the Table:

To this table in this place we invite:

The created order – pronounced GOOD by the Creator, suffering fallen-ness and awaiting eagerly for liberation in the renewed earth.

To this table in this place we invite:

Every living creature – included in God’s covenant with Noah and pronounced GOOD by the Creator, the variety of which inspires our awe and stewardship of which requires our care.

To this table in this place we invite:

The poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame – as Jesus invited to his banquet upturning the Pharisaic tables, insisting the first shall be last and the last first.

To this table in this place we invite:

The saints of old who have fought their good fight – we are honoured by their presence and inspired by their example.

To this table in this place we invite:

One another – each one endlessly precious to the Redeemer Jesus and each one a fellow pilgrim in faith.

L: This is the Body of Jesus broken for us

ALL: This is our body

L: This is the Blood of Jesus shed for us

ALL: This is our life blood

L: Then the Master told his servant, “Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.” We are sent out to be co-workers in building God’s Kingdom.

ALL: Amen!

It was good to hear something of their amazing adventures (we heard and saw more on the following Wednesday), of inspiring Christians further afield and to be included in an awareness of this bigger God that we so often lose sight of…