Everything has changed
Discipleship is of paramount importance to Jesus. Before He ascended into heaven, His final command to His followers was to “go and make disciples of all nations”. This is a key focus for us as Christians and has been highlighted throughout this year by our Moderator.
In this edition, we hear of one congregation’s strategy to encourage and equip the leaders of its organisations. Claire Ebbinghaus from Kirkpatrick Memorial has been employed as a ministries facilitator, to liaise with and care for leaders. She says, “It is about trying to lead people into godly leadership and to disciple those coming after them.”
Being mindful of those who will follow after us is imperative for our churches and our society as a whole. At the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, we acknowledge and give thanks that young adults in Northern Ireland have no living memory of the atrocities that their parents and grandparents experienced through the Troubles.
However, their reality is far from the idyllic scene that was hoped for 20 years ago. In reflecting on this Alan Meban says, “…our impasse and our continued social segregation make it all too clear that we remain thoroughly unreconciled.” At a time when divisions seem too wide to overcome, Alan quotes Rev. Steve Stockman, speaking at a 4 Corners Festival event when he says, “Doors are open for us if we will only go through those doors. The church has a voice in the wider society.”
If it is true that we have a legitimate voice, then we need to be sure of what we want to say and make the most of the doors that are open to us. In this world of complex and confusing issues, full to the brim of grey areas, it is tempting to withdraw, either because we don’t know what to say or are fearful of saying the wrong thing. But withdrawing was never what we were called to do.
Moderator, Dr. Noble McNeely, writes a challenging Easter reflection, encouraging us to ‘recast the net’ as Jesus told His disciples to do in order to catch fish. Dr. McNeely highlights that for their striving to be successful, the disciples had to stop and listen to Jesus and we need to do the same: “…so often [we] leave Christ on the shore and avoid hearing His voice challenge us.”
Easter is the perfect season to refocus and reflect on our lives and our world. When Jesus rose from the dead He changed everything. We are powerless to affect any kind of change in ourselves or our society unless we seek first His voice and obey.
Wishing you a blessed Easter, full of seeking, finding and listening to the King.
The Presbyterian Herald is the official magazine of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. It provides a forum for debate and discussion on a wide range of topics and aims to challenge and encourage Presbyterians, as well as inform them about what the wider Church is involved in. It has a readership in excess of 25,000 and is distributed throughout Ireland.
To find out more go to www.presbyterianireland.org/herald