Sharing some thoughts

  A long time ago I saw a thing on  the  internet about job descriptions for jobs that are really bad and I looked it up again this week but couldn’t find it – the closest I came was a list of the top 10 worst jobs as voted for by the readers of the Grimsby Telegraph ! At the very top was a sewage worker…    To be fair it’s not the most immediately attractive job on paper at least, and the reason I was thinking about this related to today’s gospel reading from Matthew (16:21-28). Jesus is talking about his followers and what it means to be one of those followers.    First of  all  he’s described how he has to go to Jerusalem to be killed. Peter argues with him and is bluntly told, ‘Get behind me  Satan ! ’  It seems harsh but Peter was judging things by earthly standards and Jesus had very different ideas and he went on to tell the disciples that whoever wanted to follow him must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow…...

  For my text this morning I’m  not immediately going to use one of the Bible readings but rather words from  the Liverpool Echo from October 9 th 2015 , and the words of Jurgen Klopp who had just been appointed the Liverpool F ootball  C lub  Manager.  He said,  “We have to change from doubters to believers. Now . At this moment  we ( all the LFC family is ) are  a little bit too nervous, a little bit too pessimistic, a little bit too much in doubt,” he said.  “They all celebrate the game and there is a fantastic atmosphere in the stadium,  But  they don’t believe at the moment. They only see five years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago. History is great. But only to remember. Now we have the possibility to write a new story if we want. ” At a time when we’re really being challenged to consider our faith and our churches, I don’t think there could be more appropriate words  than these  and today’s gospel (Matthew 14:22...