It was good to be part of the Village Festival in June and to meet and chat with various people. We were blessed with good weather and a large number of people were enjoying the various activities on the green.
Quite a few people put prayer requests on one of our boards and these were all prayed for during the Sunday morning service the next day.
On the other board we asked people “If Jesus was here today what would you ask him?” Several people posted questions on the board and I will address a number of these in this and future posts.
One question which someone posted as what they would ask Jesus is “Why are you here today?” Perhaps some of us would expect to find Jesus in a church building or among “religious” people. But reading in the gospels we find that Jesus spent much of his time with the common people – in their homes and villages, by the lake, in the fields and on the mountainside.
Although Jesus sometimes withdrew to be quiet and pray or to teach his closest disciples, he was prepared to meet people where they were and just as they were. He is still prepared to do that today. Although Jesus does not walk amongst us as a man today, we can still know his presence. We can speak to him through prayer. We can get to know him through reading the Bible. And the Christian Church is his body, through which he can speak to people and care for people in many different ways. So in a very real sense, Jesus was there at the Village Festival – because he lives in each of us who know him as our Lord and Saviour – and we were there. And why was Jesus there? To let people know that he loves them and longs for them to accept His love and forgiveness.
Try praying this simple prayer “Jesus – if you are real then I ask you please to reveal yourself to me so that I can get to know you”. If you pray that sincerely then you may be amazed at how and where the answer comes.