Love in action

Twelve years ago I had the privilege of going to Ghana. I was invited because the church Helen and I attended in Hull had Ghanaian members.


I attended Calvary Methodist Church.

The Methodist Church is located in the centre of the capital, Accra.

Calvary Methodist is a vibrant church with two services on a Sunday. I remember having to give a greeting to the minister in front of 200 people.



Eating banku and making a mess


Children greeting me

Twelve years later, Helen and I find ourselves in the New River Methodist Circuit. 

17th May was meant to be my District Testimony service before attending the Methodist Conference to be ordained. I was going to share the honour to be part of a circuit that is 90% Caribbean and West African. I want to thank the circuit for teaching me so much since joining them in 2018. Thank you for helping me to realise that my way of worship isn't the only way. We learn together and we show solidarity. 

Edward Colston was a Bristol slave trader and his statue was pulled down, but a statue remains standing in Bristol of someone wanting an end to slavery called John Wesley. A statue of love remains. 

John Wesley on love ... 'humility and patience are the surest proofs of the increase of love'

Romans 12: 9-21 - Love in action

v15 - weep with those who weep

I will weep when you are weeping 

v19 - do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'it is mine to avenge; I will repay.' 

Martin Luther King Jr believed in a nonviolent protest. 

'Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that' - Martin Luther King Jnr. 

When I reflect on MLK words I think of Miami...


And this relates to verse 21 ...  'do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.'


'If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other' - Mother Teresa


Brother, sister let me serve you, let me be as Christ to you. We are pilgrims on a journey and companions on the road. And I will hold the Christ-light for you. As part of the human race, I take the knee with you and we show solidarity and like the song says we shall overcome. 

We kneel together at the foot of the cross. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dealing with My Depression: Feeling Much Better

Image
Hello everyone, It was exactly a year ago that I shared my news with you because I wanted it to be my story. Today, I want to update you on my journey and how I’m feeling much better now. When I was first diagnosed, I felt like I was in a black hole. I experienced feelings of rejection, loneliness, and uselessness. My mind was overwhelmed with doubts and worries. During this dark time, I found comfort in Jesus’ cry from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” (Matthew 27:46 & Mark 15:34). His words reminded me that even in my suffering, I am not alone. The journey to recovery wasn’t easy. I started on antidepressants and received counselling. The support from my friends and family has been invaluable. I’ve had my share of “wobbles,” but overall, I feel much stronger and more hopeful. One of the significant realisations during my recovery was the importance of talking about mental health. There’s a stigma around depression, especially in the church, where people...
Read more

Living in Darkness

Image
I haven't updated my blog for a long time.  I want to share something with you. Two weeks ago my GP diagnosed me with depression.  We can’t control how we feel and the thoughts we get. The average person will typically have more than 6,000 thoughts in a single day, and the brain can process these thoughts. However, I wasn’t able to think straight because of certain things that had happened and I wasn’t in control of it. This goes back to Autumn’s Synod in the London District. I put my name down to attend the Methodist Conference as a presbyter. The London District had two spaces for Presbyters and three applied. I came third and the other two Presbyters were chosen fairly. Some reading this might think this is trivial and it’s only a conference but don’t forget we can’t control our thoughts because we average about 3000 thoughts per hour or 50 per minute, just under one per second.  I have taken this badly. I struggle with ministers who have attended the Methodist Confere...
Read more

The Power of Touch

Image
One of the difficult things during the pandemic is not being able to hug family and friends.  Grandparents can only see their grandchildren on the other side of the window.  Some people have lost a loved one and we want to hug them, for others, we live miles away.   Touch is important. Physical touch matters for your wellbeing.  Touch plays a primary role in our development and physical and wellbeing. Lepers were never touched because the danger of infection was too high. Living as we have during Covid-19 gives us the insight into the life of the leper. For nearly a year we’ve not been able to embrace and welcome people with a hug, handshake or kiss. Covid has given us insights into what it’s like when we see people as ‘problems’ and not individuals.  Jesus looks beyond the problem and see’s a person made in his Father’s image.  He touches the outcast and the person is healed.  A part of loving your neighbour is keeping your distance, wearing a face co...
Read more