Pentecostal Prayer
Lord, give us the strength to listen to the whispers of the abandoned, the pleas of the afraid and the anguish of those without hope.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
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This coming Wednesday we will be having our quarterly Congregational Meeting at 7 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend — whether you have been at CMM for years, or have just arrived. This is an opportunity for us to discuss anything and everything that is on our hearts and minds with one another. It is also an opportunity to be “filled in” about things taking place in and through CMM, and the broader Circuit (group of churches) that we form part of: like the Youth and Sunday School Developments, Finance, Maintenance, Sunday Lunches with the Homeless, Sunday Worship, the Jesus School and “As it is in Heaven Coffee” e.g. “Are we now like the money changers in the temple?”
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Last week we heard that Pentecost is not only the birth of Church but the birth of authentic conversation. Or maybe we could say that Pentecost is the birth of the Church because it was the birth of authentic conversation. I say this because for there to be authentic community (the Church) there must be authentic conversation. Authentic conversation neither denies nor is determined by power relationships. The result of Pentecost is the powerless speaking and the powerful listening.
A helpful acronym that should make us pause is: W-A-I-T — Why-Am-I–Talking?
Do my conversations bring life? Do they bring freedom and joy for all? Are they true? Are they gentle and merciful? Who am I afraid to speak to? Who may be afraid to speak to me?
A few questions to live with … Alan
