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This issue of Channels deals with stories of faith. As I travel around the country one of the greatest blessings of all is to hear the stories of the communities of faith at work – not only in spectacular ways but in everyday faithful ways – those who, as the apostle commands, “keep on keeping on.” When I enter a true community of faith I can almost immediately tell I am among kindred spirits. There is a welcome and a grace in those places that is not present where people are simply going through the religious motions. The stories they tell are stories about Jesus at work among them – not about what they have accomplished. It isn’t merely a matter of the way they word things, but the attitude discerned as coming from the heart – hearts on fire for God. They also have hearts humbled by the truth that all their works are poor righteous rags indeed, but that Jesus takes their offerings with the same attitude of thanksgiving that they offer it with.
The story of the experience of God working through the Alpha course at Angus, Ontario, that follows, is a case in point, as is Esther Mclveen’s article encouraging us to embrace our personal journey of faith as we listen to God speaking to us. The stories telling of the AGM with Marva Dawn, and the Renewal Day organized by the B.C. Renewal Task Force involve too many stories to relate in full but God was present and at work! Sandy Wessel’s garden parable reminds us that persistence as well as prayer is the cost of growing a church.
Recently, I had a tremendous time listening to stories of people’s struggles and the triumphs of God’s grace as I visited long-time friends in B.C. and met with many new friends in the Atlantic Provinces. The prayer times and sharing times were a highlight. I look forward to more of this at the Renewal Fellowship Praise and Prayer times that we share at Assembly the first week of June as Presbyterian people gather from all over the nation. I especially look forward to the Wednesday evening fellowship when we will have opportunity to share through drama – Blood Red – the story of our Covenanting ancestors with many of the Commissioners.
The Christian faith has always been about finding our personal story as part of the story of God’s people in all times and places and finally discovering that the story of God’s people is really only meaningful as we see it placed in the context of Christ’s own eternal story that moves us beyond time and space.
I pray that as each of these stories combine as part of your story that you will be renewed and encouraged in faith and in story telling.