Pastor's Letter, March 2016 

 Dear Church Family
 
“Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.”
1 Cor 13:4-8
 
We are right in the middle of our “Love is…” series, asking the question “what is love?” and looking for the answers in these amazing words from Paul, written to the church in Corinth.  The more I consider these words, the more I realise how incredibly powerful true love is.  It takes incredible courage and strength to live out these words, and that is exactly what we see in Jesus as he set out on his journey to the cross.  The truth is that if Jesus had decided that this journey was too much, no one around about him would have encouraged him to carry on.  Indeed, Peter actually tried to discourage Jesus from his journey and Jesus’ rebuke of Peter was clear and strong.  Those around Jesus, his closest friends, didn’t really understand what Jesus was doing, and where his journey led, but Jesus knew.  If Jesus had not taken that journey, if he had listened to Peter’s words and taken a different path, he would be remembered in the history books as a miracle worker, a great teacher and possibly a great leader, but ultimately his name would be forgotten.  Jesus knew what he had to do, even as he wrestled in the garden of Gethsemane with the path ahead, he knew where his journey would lead, and he chose to go to the cross because ultimately it was the only way to conquer sin and death, and to make a way for you and I to be reconciled to God.
 
There will be times in our lives when to love takes incredible courage and strength.  There will be times when no one understands our choices and indeed many around us will try to discourage us from our path, often with the best intentions.  There will be times when the desire to take another less painful path will be almost overwhelming.  In those times we need to remember the greatest act of love ever seen, a love that changed this world and changed our destiny.  In those times there is a name that is not relegated to the history books but which stands above every other name; a name that has shown, without a doubt, that “love never fails”.  His name is Jesus.
 
My prayer for us all, as we draw near to Easter, is that we would grasp afresh the incredible love of God for us, and that we would be empowered again with the courage and strength to love each other, and those around us, with a love that never fails.
 
Love and Abundant Blessings!
 
Jon