EXAMPLE Change is not always easy

Change is not always easy…  

and at the same growing as a christian involves a life of change.

As the gospel takes root in our lives it brings about change; it teaches us to say no to ungodliness and yes to growing in godliness (Titus 2.11-13). Or as Paul puts it in Colossians 3 we are called to put off the old self and to put on the new self ‘which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of the creator’ (Colossians 3.10). 

As a church we have gone through a lot of change in recent years, and we are experiencing more changes too. Last Sunday, St Matt’s Ashbury met for the last time as a church family. 

From next Sunday both 9.30 am and 5.00 pm will look and feel a little bigger as we are joined by members of St Matt’s Ashbury.

It’s worth being realistic about how that will challenge us in different ways.

Biological families grow together slowly and experience the ‘slow burn’ of sharing life together. They have time to build memories and develop a shared history. And for the most part, church families grow in that way too - slowly and in a way that allows time for history to be shared and memories to be built together. There’s something unusual about having a church family that grows by 20-30 adults in a week. It’s not a bad thing in any way, it’s just a different kind of thing from what we’re used to and so it’s worth being realistic how change may effect us in different ways.

For some of us we’re excited at what’s going on at church and we’re excited to be a part of a bigger family. For others there’s a sense of loss that comes with that. In the short term, some of us may feel a little disoriented as we find ourselves in a familiar space with unfamiliar faces.

I want to encourage you to take some time to process how you’re faring with that and reach out to me, Mel or Luke, your small group leader, or a friend to help process these things. 

There are three things I’d love to commend us all to be a part of.