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What is your footprint?

Transcript - Online Service ‘All who sat in the council looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel’. Acts 6:15 Welcome Hymn 1: I need thee every hour – StF 0467 Prayer based on John Wesley’s Sunday morning prayers: Reflection: What is your Spiritual Footprint? We are talking a lot about our carbon footprint and the carbon heritage we are leaving to future generations. How much plastic are we leaving behind us when we build our houses or roads. How much air pollution am I/we creating by traveling or heating my/our house? How many animals, plants or lives will disappear because of my/our actions? And yet in my questions I try to dissociate myself from my personal responsibilities to a more collective responsibility. It is easier to think we may be doing something, but it is not our individual fault because we are part of the pack. Blame society, not me. I was reflecting ‘are we so more clever than our ancestors than they could not see the impact they had on their environment… did they not care’? I don’t know. I know they cared about another footprint and heritage. One of a spiritual matter. Yes, I am talking of Spiritual Footprint and Spiritual Heritage. What Spiritual footprint do we have in our world and to individuals? What Spiritual Heritage will we leave when we are called away from this earthly life? We could be tempted to do the same as for the carbon footprint and delegate our personal responsibility to society. Does it sound familiar is I was saying: People nowadays are not interested. I am too busy it is the job of the church. Don’t talk about religion. Our children don’t know about Christ. The Media are very secular they should have more religious programs. Our churches are empty. What the point. It is interesting how we are passing on the blame on others and find the best excuses to clear ourselves from our responsibilities. It reminds me of Jesus and the lame man at the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem … allow me to remind you that story in John chapter 5 from the New Revised Standard Version Updated from the verse 2 to verse 9 The man was blaming the world for his personal situation finding the best reason why he could not free himself. Self-pity, resignation and complacency but also fear to challenge our current situation is what keep us stagnate on our mat. Jesus told him to get up and get on with it. I can’t stop thinking of the Prophets of old and especially of a favourite of mine: Elisha who is often confused or ignored in the shadow of his master Elijah. Elisha takes every opportunity to offer hopes and the good news to people around him so much that his name is enough and even his bones… let us hear 2 Kings 13: 20-21. Elisha didn’t wait for excuses to stay still. The same for all the prophets, Jesus, the apostles, the saints and ordinary Christians such as Stephen or Dorcas in the book of acts and others like even to today. What is my spiritual footprint? Can we leave the comfort of our mat and get on with our Christian discipleship? We should not be scared of it. We are just asked to live a happy and fulfilled life – John 10:10. Not everyone can stand on the corner streets with a soap box but what about the gentle display of our discipleship? What is our spiritual footprint? What will it after we go in glory? Hymn 2: A charge to keep I have – StF 658 Prayer of thanksgiving Lord’s Prayer. Serenity Prayer: God, grant me the serenity, to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as the pathway to peace. Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it. Trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will. So that I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen. Hymn 3: Let us build a house – StF 409 Blessing: (together) May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.