Have you ever had someone walk in on you and suddenly found yourself feeling really guilty. It’s not that you had even done anything wrong, it’s just that feeling that you have been caught out. In the 1990’s John Powell a Jesuit priest wrote a series of books - two of which were titled ‘Will the real me please stand up’ and ‘Why am I afraid to tell you who I really am?’
In the preface to the second book Powell tells of an actual conversation he had with a person about the title of his book. Their answer to the book’s title question was ‘I am afraid to tell you who I am, because if I tell you who I am you may not like who I am and that is all I have.’
To be known is to be exposed, a little bit like having someone walk in on you unexpectedly, and like the person Powell mentions we too are afraid – afraid that we may bot be accepted or liked anymore.
The Good News we discover in the Bible is that God loves regardless of what we are like. God knows us, the real us and he loves us anyway. May you discover that love this week.
If you are struggling at this time and just need someone to talk to, then please email us at office@pb.org.nz or call 0223075225 and we will contact you.
This Sunday @ 10am This coming Sunday we continue our series called Encounters with Jesus, looking at the encounters Jesus has with various people in John’s Gospel. What do they disclose about Jesus and us? This week we will meet a woman in John 4:1-30 ‘Found Out’
A children’s programme is available and a crèche for younger children.
To join with us on air, tune in to Coast Access Radio 104.7FM from 10.00am or livestream at http://coastaccessradio.org.nz...
Mainly Music – Wednesdays from 10.00am during school terms. This programme is a fun way for parents and their children to spend quality time together based around music and movement. It is an opportunity for us as a church to connect with and offer something back to the community of which we are a part. It is also a way for us to demonstrate care, concern, and support for those with young children.
Small Groups. We have several groups meeting. Contact the church office@pb.org.nz if you would like to join one.
And we are also on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/paraparaumubaptist
Grace and peace