Home Minister's Letters From Barry Weetman
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Dear Friends
A Happy Christmas…….
But what exactly does happiness consist of? I ask the question simply because recently I have had similar conversations with three or four people, who have all said at some stage
'I'll be alright if I could only win the lottery'. One added, 'The hope of it keeps me
going'.
On one level I can see where some are coming from - especially those struggljng to stay afloat financially. Personal debt is at an all time high; jobs, especially long term careers with some security, are increasingly hard to find, and many people are juggling bank accounts each month to such an extent that their life just centres round not increasing their debt - they have long since given up hope of paying it all back. Debt to this extent is corrosive and destructive, and I can understand anyone who hopes for a big win so as to have some security. We all need some stability in our lives.
I suppose I am more concerned with those whose dreams centre round a large pile of cash who already have jobs, homes, and a fair measure of security. Will winning a vast amount really change anything? For some it means a permanent holiday - personally there is only so much sun I can take, and I need routine and involvement with others before I can be really happy. For others it means the chance of limitless possessions; one lottery winner vowed recently
'I'll have a car for every day of the week' and now has seven. Yet once you have bought the fine house and the seven cars, then what? There are so many accounts of those whose relationships have failed, and who have ended up far less happy because they don't know how to handle their sudden good fortune, can't cope with being on a permanent holiday or can't cope with having their loved ones around them all the time. As one £2.1m. winner said recently, having blown the lot,
'I'm glad it' s all gone and I can get back to normal'.
The bible says that true happiness consists of coming to know God, and developing our relationship with Him. . An old hymn said
'I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold'. which I suppose sums it up for me. If God really is our Creator, and our Father, then for me it has always seemed obvious that until we have found out why He made us - or allowed us to exist - and we have found His purposes for our lives, then our lives are always going to lack that certain extra something that makes life worth living, and indeed all our possessions and the other things of this earth worth having.
This Christmas, if you want to know more about God's purposes for your life, and the difference that knowing Jesus can make, why not come to one of our services and find out more? You will be made very welcome. .
Every blessing,
John Davies
'Joy to the world, the Lord has come! Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing!'
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To all Senior Church Stewards:
It is worth asking whether we could find in each church someone or a
couple of people who would be willing to do 'Readers Services' perhaps once a Quarter -
I would undertake to find materials and issue a suitable Order of Service with suggested hymns. In some cases those who have already been on a Worship Leaders course may wish to do this.
Warmest Regards
John Davies