The March Clergy Blog

Clergy Blog

March

What a February it has been! Spring is most certainly springing, winter has begun to creep back and … the season is changing!

‘You have made the moon to mark the seasons … ‘

Psalm 104.19

It has been an exciting few months learning to develop a psalmist heart. As we have dug deeper into the psalms – and in our evening services, the disciplines of a mature Christian life – we have begun to see and smell that next season! The psalmist writes of how the moon marks the seasons – this is God’s doing! He has given us signs to know when the seasons are changing, indeed, as with the moon, the sign is the very thing bringing the season in!

St Mark’s has seen some signs of a season of change: We are outgrowing our premises, we have been asked to help another church develop in the city centre, (St Peter’s Church at the Cross) we are seeing our projects develop and people coming to know Jesus. We have had exciting moments where St Peter’s have joined us on two occasions. One was in the act of baptism of Molly and Lottie! An occasion full of praise, full of new life! We celebrated our covenant with God rejoicing that it is He who acts first! Some of St Peter’s also joined us for our day of healing! A wonderful day with Linda Daniel where we learned and experienced the healing presence of the Father!

The season is changing and we are moving towards being a church of Healing, Wholeness and Holiness. This calling on us as a community is exciting and daunting. It means taking risks, not the kind of risks that the world offers, but the kind of risks that God offers! Our Father offers to go ahead of us, to be with us and to support us – it is in this support and trust, that God calls us to go out into Saltney and Lache, into the Town centre, into our neighbourhoods and to be the body of Christ – shining God’s healing, Gods’ wholeness and God’s holiness! Not to be ‘perfect’ by any means – but real and loving in this broken world! It is in this care that God calls us to build his Church and to see it grow in maturity and numbers. This is a calling to allow our psalmist heart to beat that raw honesty and gratitude around our entire being so that we may intentionally enjoy and shine the love of Christ to each other and to the world.

The season is changing – Easter is coming! Let us prepare for the celebration of the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and expect to see him in power! Let us move with boldness into this new season!

Jonathan