Candle, table, door.

The first weekend in September was a poignant one for us – we celebrated the 30^th anniversary of our Church (Threshold) and I retired from overseeing our original church community after those 30 years. The occasion gave me the opportunity to try and encapsulate what I think we’ve learnt together over three decades of rural ministry.

Our vision is to see the Kingdom of God further established in the rural areas of Lincolnshire. Our aim is for God’s people to be sustainably present and accessible in rural areas in such a way that it easy to find Jesus in their communities and in their lives together over the long term.

How do we navigate this in an ever-changing situation where every village is unique, the prevailing culture moves and the rural church mostly declines? One huge area of learning for us over the years is to live and steer by our values. You could say we have come to appreciate the ‘value of values’.

Values are those aspects of God’s character that we are particularly asked to reflect in our life together. As the years ahead go by, as things change in the church, in society, in the environment, we can still steer by the values God has placed in us – reflections of who He is. We have learnt to express (and remember!) our values in three common objects – candle, table and door. The themes inherent in each are also to be found in our foundational psalm - Psalm 84. So:

Candle

For us, a candle represents the presence of God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - in all of life, in every community and every heart. God in Jesus took the initiative to be with us – Emmanuel, God with us. We choose to respond by loving God, seeking His presence, dwelling in Him. “How lovely is your dwelling place – my soul longs and yearns for your courts, my heart and flesh cry out for the living God” Psalm 84 vs 1

Table

This speaks to us of community lived in and lived out around a table: a place of generosity, hospitality and study. Table speaks of who God is – His love, His welcome, His hospitality, His community – for those who know Him and those who don’t.  We aim to ‘do life’ in community where He is easily found. “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord..”  Psalm 84 vs 10. (Alternative reading: “I would rather stand on the Threshold..”). We choose to live in a place that is part of the community of God’s people yet close to those who don’t yet believe.

Door

We are compelled by love to go outside in mission and to welcome in through the door the pilgrim, the friend and the stranger. It means having an open door – a threshold for people to cross to a welcome in the Kingdom of God and for us to venture over to those beyond the boundaries of church.

“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs. Psalm 84 vs 5”

Candle, table, door speaks of a culture of love for God, each other and those beyond the church. How do you nurture this culture? We’ve found some practices/perspectives are most useful and lifegiving.

Perhaps most important is learning to hear God together – He alone knows what is up ahead, what shape we need to be in, what direction to take to navigate the unknown. Learn to obey Him even in the unexpected. Learn to keep in step with Him, embracing the stability knowing Him brings and from that place embracing the change He brings.

Listening to God requires immersion of all of us in both Word and Spirit, embracing the variety of ways in which people discern His voice and hear His whispers. It requires a practice of inviting the counsel of all in your community.

The practice of hospitality and the gift of generosity also do much to build a culture of love for others – again reflecting who God is – His generosity, His hospitality

So, we continue to learn from each other as those seeking to see God at work in the countryside. For now we’re revisiting our values – maybe you could find revisiting yours useful? We know His best is yet to come – He is faithful – lets continue to hear His call onwards, reflect who He is in the way we do life and look to see His Kingdom further established in the rural areas we love and live in.

Pete Atkins

Guest contributor