Vicar Writes & Info
Rend your hearts
Vicar Writes
05 August 2007
Rend your hearts
Both Jennifer and I will be visiting the Lims this week. Do keep this visit in your prayers as we bring along with us your prayers and love.
We conclude the series on the Book of Joel this morning. We do need to continue to respond to its timely message to ‘rend our hearts and not our garments.’ From time to time, it is important that we as the Lord’s family, set aside a time to seek the Lord and allow Him to search our hearts. The time needs to be:
1. Unhurried - matters of the heart and our relationship with God cannot be rushed through if we are to hear the voice of the Lord clearly.
2. While personal, it also needs to be communal. This is of course for mutual encouragement. Furthermore, we are seeking the Lord for the church as we continue to be engaged with the rebuilding process.
3. It has to be structured. Life in Singapore is very structured or scheduled, even if some of us by personality prefer to do what we feel like doing at any given time. Therefore, scheduling a period to seek the Lord is necessary if we are to do anything like this together as a church family.
I am calling the church to respond by setting aside the Sept vacation week for fasting and prayer through the 24/7 approach and other worship gatherings. This of course does not mean that you have to give up the whole week for this but collective participation as a church. I find this needful as we continue to plan for the future, give emphasis on the life of our families (one main focus on this period) and to practically respond to the messages in Joel.
I am aware that there are various national prayer gatherings in August. By all means participate if you can. However, there is also a strong (biblical) place for the life and call of the local church. It is when the local church is mindful of her life, self-care and responsibilities that the Church at large can be strong.
As this is also a year we are celebrating the 30th Anniversary project, it is important that we scribe the good things that the Lord has done in and through SJC. We want to produce a commemorative magazine. If you have editorial experience or would like to help in some way, do email Andrew Yap at andrew@sjc.org.sg
