We have been getting ready for our annual fun day which is tomorrow. The helpers know what their jobs are, the inflatables are booked, the popcorn lady is coming and we have even booked a visit from Mickey Mouse. We have bought a popping pig as well as food for the BBQ and ice cream. If you are on Facebook, you can see some of the things we have planned in our FB group.
People have worked hard getting ready and tomorrow we will come together to spend the morning getting the building and grounds ready. (The picture is of us starting to prepare the front of the church for last years event).
Our annual fun day is something that we provide for the community for free. It says something important about who we are as a church and it is something that we want to work hard to get right as we welcome people and also give people an opportunity to have fun.
I believe that God has blessed us to be a blessing to others and whilst there are many more meaningful ways to bless people, we have found that people do appreciate the fun day each year.
I hope that we have everything ready.
I give thanks to God for Jan who is coordinating the event (thankfully she is much more organized than me!)
I give thanks to God for all of the helpers and the work they are putting in to make the day work well.
I give thanks to God for the people who will come along and who will be blessed.
As I have been getting ready this week I have been reminded of a story that Jesus told about 10 Bridesmaids who were waiting for the bridegroom to arrive for the wedding feast. The bridegroom was very late and when he was nearly there, late at night, some of the bridesmaids had run out of oil for their lamps. As they went to get oil, they missed the arrival and the party. You can read the story for yourself in Matthew 25.
Jesus compared this story to his return.
Although Jesus ascended back to heaven, one day he will come back.
The question for us is ‘will we be ready?’
It is hard to be 100% sure what Jesus meant by being ready but here are some thoughts.
Will we be proud to know Jesus now and not just when he returns and everyone sees that he is real?
Will we live in a way that pleases Jesus ?
Oil is seen by some as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Do we want to be full of God’s presence? Do we want him to fill and empower us?
Oil is seen by some as a symbol of blessing. Do we want to be blessed by God so that we can bless others?
Are we trusting in Jesus to save us? When he returns, how will we persuade Jesus that we should spend eternity with him? Christianity is not about being good enough for Jesus! In contrast, it requires us to call on Jesus to forgive and accept us as we turn to him as our saviour and our lord.
I hope that we are ready for our fun morning tomorrow but I hope even more that we are getting ready for the return of Jesus.
