Gathering in Prayer

Happy new year! Those interested in our new church plant in Tarneit gathered for prayer last Sunday night (with some away on holidays) to pray concerning the future direction of this ministry. Certainly as we read from Matthew 6, we were seeking God's Kingdom and will to come to earth just as it is already operating in heaven. Diane was led to Acts 2:46, and reflected upon the hospitality that we would need to share with one another.

We will also need to have a clear and focussed care for the local Tarneit community, despite all the reservations we could possibly list. Yes people can find ways of annoying each other, yet ultimately these little niggly issues become insignificant in the light of God's offer of transforming love to all. In Jeremiah 29:1-9, there is a clear message about how we should react to the community in which we live, even if we live there in some tension.

We live where we live for a reason, and some of us may be able to concede that this is a God-ordained 'placement'. We are to live in our neighbourhoods with a sense of purpose and joy; and this is never for our benefit primarily, but rather for the benefit of all residents. Yet we may ultimately find that Jeremiah 29:7 is correct where it suggests that our personal welfare is intrinsically tied into the general welfare of our region.

So in our next prayer gathering this Sunday night coming, we should pray concertedly for the local community, its needs and aspiration - while at the same time listening and reflecting for ways to practically help realise and maximise this sense of wholistic well-being.