Keeping Closer Company

 

Keeping Closer

Company With Jesus


Lord help us begin life afresh, ‘Keeping Closer Company With Jesus.’ Amen




 

Today marks a new beginning. 

Perhaps I should decide what not to eat for the next 40 days or so. Perhaps.

 Perhaps I should take on a new commitment. Perhaps.

 None of it fills me with excitement or interest or even commitment.

 My heart is set on something quite else.

God willing I will get to do other great things.

Hopefully in about an hour’s time twenty something folks from the parish and our friends from other places will settle into a Quiet Evening.

I mention the numbers deliberately. We’ve always had two or three gathered at Breathe during these last four or five years. But in early January so few had connected I did something I’m not sure I’ve done before, I cancelled an evening.

This time, I worked much harder, I connected, and emailed and Facebooked, and telephoned, and reminded. Perhaps I shouldn’t have to. Perhaps.

But if something is worth having, it is worth working for.

Fellowship, and in fact our Discipleship really matters. 

Church is perhaps a lot of things, but at it’s very heart is the life offered to us from Jesus; 

a walk with Him, and the opportunity to find hope and encouragement with those the scriptures 

calls our ‘brothers and sisters.’

I’ve lost contact with many brothers and sisters along The Way.

My reassurance is that they might go on with Jesus for themselves.

For that I’m thankful that we share the same path, heading for Home.

One of my jobs here, I say job, it’s more of a privilege, is to encourage others to follow Him.  That needs to happen in all kinds of ways, but however it happens, it’s a great joy to see others come to have a saving faith and trust in Jesus for themselves.

Taking those early steps of trust in His forgiveness, His pardon and His New Life in us.

Rowan Williams put it really, really well in a little phrase which touched me greatly, when he wrote about, ‘Keeping Closer Company With Jesus.’

That’s it! Discipleship summed up really well. Keep closer Company with Him.

And from that comes a better walk alongside your brothers and sisters who themselves are called to Keep Closer Company with Him, as well.

The Psalmist had experienced it well before us.

He wrote about the reality of Keeping Closer Company, in Psalm 91:

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;

    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

Rescue. Protection. An answer from God. His presence in trouble. His deliverance.

Honour bestowed from Him. Life and salvation.

God commits Himself to us in providing these things for us.

The whole Psalm is very worth reading in your own prayers and reflecting on for yourself.

‘Draw near to God and he will draw near to You.’ The Letter of St James Chapter 4, verse 8

Keep Closer Company.

This Lent and Easter why not join us as we keep closer company with Jesus and with one another.

One way is to link into the worship each Sunday, or on any of the Quiet Evenings or special events planned.

A great support to your growth is to read.

This year I’m recommending three great books which we would try to get to you.

One is from the now very famous Corrie Ten Boom; a devotional book which at its heart is warm and challenging. You can begin it at any time of the year.

Or John Stott’s very thought-provoking writing published as The Disciple.

Or one I’m greatly enjoying at the moment is writing from Rowan William’s which he contributed to his parish during the first lockdown.

 In very short chapters.

‘Candles In The Dark’ will encourage and challenge you.

May you come to know the riches of God’s grace towards you, in His Son.

And may you enjoy the company of your Christian family,

as you Keep Closer Company With Jesus.

Lord help us begin life afresh, ‘Keeping Closer Company With Jesus.’ Amen

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