In the summer of 2010, the weather was
warm, England were performing rather better in the World Cup, and the
Kichensides arrived in Lilleshall and Muxton. Four years ago I was writing to say thank you for a wonderful
welcome, bristling with the excitement of meeting so many new people. I had my first taste of the Activity
Days (the theme: Zero to Hero) and was encouraging everyone to pray for the
vision days. Having just arrived,
I remember making the most of a quiet August by trying to finish a 12,000-word
dissertation alongside planning All Age Holy Communion services on Deborah and
Gideon. How time has flown?
Preparing to leave a place with significant
memories is never easy. In our
house the other day I stumbled upon a pot of mystery keys – every home must
surely have one; mystery keys which as far as I can tell open all the houses
we’ve ever lived in, and all the padlocks on the sheds and garden gates! It was time to sort out the pot, and I
felt the Holy Spirit speak.
Keys…
Jesus said, ‘I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever
you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will
be loosed in heaven.’ (Matthew 16.19)
The kingdom of this world knows nothing of heaven. It remains a mystery, locked, hidden
away. All over the earth there are
corners of our humanity that need to be touched by heaven - bitterness among
ethnic groups, powerful structures that mask abuse, suspicion within
communities, broken marriages, hurting people. And, there are things deep within ourselves that need to be
named and loosed, and things that need to be left with Christ on the cross.
I sense this is what God has been doing in
my life and ministry over the past 4 years. Jesus said, ‘I will give you the keys’ – keys to hearts and
minds, both young and old, and keys to your own heart and mind. The Holy Spirit has been opening new
opportunities for God’s healing love to move out-there and in-here. Sometimes it’s been through a big
project, sometimes a school assembly or Sunday service, but other times its
happened through a quiet visit, a word, or even just a look.
Preparing to leave Lilleshall and Muxton is
unlikely to be easy. I want to
simply give thanks for all God has done in this place. And, may there be more to come in the
future. I will carry the treasures
of the kingdom of heaven gathered here, to the next phase of our family-life to
Holy Trinity Parish in Chatham.
