Happenings 4 July 2019

Where did Jesus place significance? It’s worth stopping to think through. The obvious question is, ‘How do we tell?’ Well, you can firstly tell by looking at the topics he loved to speak about - the kingdom of God figures highly here, and perhaps because of his emphasis on God’s kingdom, our attitude to wealth in this world. You can also tell by the way he used his time; there is clear evidence that, while he loved spending time with people, he also guarded and relished time alone with his Heavenly Father. As a Jew, he also spent time in corporate worship according to his cultural customs. Thirdly, you can tell by the sort of people he gravitated towards. We don’t see him in the halls of the rich and famous until the very end, and then not because it brought him pleasure! Instead, he seemed to take pleasure in hanging out with the powerless and undervalued in society. When his disciples began to shoo the kids away, he instead gave these children access to himself; he gave them his attention and his time. In short, he placed significance on them. The things that a person places significance on gives deep insights into their character and values. It’s worth asking ourselves – what topics do I like to speak about? Where do I spend my time and money? And what kind of people do I prefer to associate with? How do these reflect the priorities of Jesus? On a corporate level, I am excited about this coming Sunday, because we are giving significance to the dedication of a young child. Shawn and Cheng will be dedicating their son, Luke, to the Lord, and we will be dedicating them as they seek to parent him well. These are important kinds of events in the life of our community. They are significant events. Come along!