Frank Retief is a Bishop from Cape Town, South Africa.  Inn Jily 1993 Frank cared for and supported his congregation through the suffering cause when terrorists opened fire at the church’s Sunday service, killing 11 people and wounding many more.

The experience has give Frank personal insight into the qurstion of suffering.

Friday 26^th March 8pm

The Octagon Centre,  Western Bank Sheffield S10 2TQ

Tickets £2.50

Tel: 230 1911   (Fulwood church office)

Also available on the door

Now here’s where I’m going to make a smooth link to my point, and it’s going to be grade-A cheese: Reading the bible is like our own ‘performance management’. We need regular ‘review meetings’ (aka church/cell group). We need people ‘higher up’ to advise us and check we’re on track. Maybe we even need some targets….

I’ve been reading a book (another one…..) called ‘Velvet Elvis’ by Rob Bell. I was initially sceptical given its silly, abstract title, but actually it’s amazing. It’s subtitled ‘Repainting the Christian Faith’, which is exactly what I think we need to do at all levels – individually, in our small groups/churches, communities, etc. He talks about this concept of ‘binding and loosing scripture’ which, at the risk of over-simplifying it, means that we should wrestle with the bits we don’t understand, discussing it in our communities (there’s that theme again….) until we have arrived at what we think is the interpretation most appplicable to us, now. Biblical Rabbis did this all the time.

This doesn’t mean that we can make the bible fit whatever we want to do (history is full of idiots who did that). It means that we allow God to speak to us through his word again and again – even the same passage can hold something new for us every time we read it afresh. The other day I re-read a couple of verses, from 1 and 2 Timothy. Both kind of reiterate the same message; if you’ve received a gift through a prophetic message and/or the laying on of hands then don’t neglect it – fan it into flame. At University a friend gave this prophecy about me – that I would speak and people would listen. In a poor interpretation of binding and loosing, I tried to make the prophecy fit what I though at the time was my ‘calling’, which was to be a Christian rock legend…. I did this for six, maybe seven years, with no success. Finally I gave up – but the prophecy kept returning to me. It is only in the light of re-reading those verses that I have attach meaning and context to it.

So that’s what I’m doing now. Talking – and you’re listening. To what, or why, I’m not sure…. I hope I say some things that are helpful. Maybe not the Postman Pat bit…..

We ate together. It wasn’t a meal after the service. It was the service. Inspired by Deuteronomy 14 where the Israelites are called to tithe their food and things and eat together in the presence of the Lord.

Mealtimes are so important to family life – to community life – you can learn so much about people at mealtimes. Things that can stay hidden behind a well rehearsed act can so easily be broken down by eating together. It’s a bit like the episode of Friends when we found out that Joey doesn’t share food…

Joey is the nicest guy but when it comes to sharing food he draws the line. At mealtimes we find out things about people. Stories can be shared, troubles can be halved, concerns voiced and hurts can be healed by spending time together round the dinner table.

Most cultures in the world recognise this importance but it is something that seems to be slipping away in Western culture. Meal time has become something to rush through, to get over so that we can get back online or back to work or back to whatever it is that is more important than taking time to just stop.

Mealtime is also an amazingly biblical thing to do – so many times in the gospel we hear of Jesus being somewhere eating, or inviting himself round to someone’s house to eat. Example – at a mealtime we see Christ’s attitude to forgiveness. In Luke 7 we read the story of when Jesus is at Simon’s house – Christ’s feet are anointed by a ’sinful woman’ and we read about forgiveness. Example – in Luke 6 we see Christ declaring his rule over the Sabbath by eating with his disciples and talking about David’s eating of the consecrated bread. Example – in the last supper we see Christ sharing bread with those who are nearest to him. Example – in Luke 19 we read the story of Zacchaeus. Christ calls him to account but goes to his house and shares a meal with him. This simple act speaks of Christ’s love for the ‘least’ and the ‘lost’.

By eating together we grow as community. By sharing our lives, and our food, we become more like Christ.

On Sunday at St John’s we took a step towards that. We worshipped and we shared together. As we search to go deeper with God this year I think it will follow that we also go deeper with each other. As we strive to be more like Christ we will start to see where Christ is among our community.

The challenge, I think, is to look around and see who is missing from our table. And then to show them that there is a place prepared for them.