This has been a truly fantastic Discipleship Month at West Epping! First we had Rev. Fie Marino (Synod Multicultural Consultant, whose good looks were particularly appreciated by some!), who preached on what it means to break down the barriers that separate us from those who are different, or the “other”. Next, we welcomed Pastor Emma Parr (Synod SRE and Safe Churches Consultant), who gave a practical message on doing church differently, breaking out of the moulds and starting from the local community’s needs, instead of within. And last week we were delighted to host Pastor Stuart McMillan (President of the Uniting Church Assembly) and Pastor Ray Minniecon (Resource Worker for the United Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress in our state) as they shared a prophetic word that we are called to suffer alongside Australia’s First Peoples, and invest in our future together in practical ways.

We received some incredibly rich sermons over these last weeks – rich, and filled with food for thought and action. The question remains: how do these prophetic words impact us beyond the one-hour service on a Sunday morning? Do we think about the messages we receive on Sunday through the week, and beyond? Do we take note of practical things we might feel called to do in response?

Sunday services are generally very verbal – that is, they are filled with a lot of words to be heard and received. But this listening and receiving is not passive (that is, “if I sit here through the service, I’ll simply absorb the Gospel through osmosis”). Jesus demands that we be active disciples, always looking for ways to better ourselves, to become more Christ-like, and to love our neighbours as ourselves. And the purpose of Sunday worship, particularly the Bible reading and sermon, is to teach and encourage us all to be more faithful disciples for Jesus, throughout our whole lives.

So, here are some practical ways for us all to take Sunday services more seriously:

• Come early, sit in the church space, and prepare yourself for this service of worship. Sit in silence – silence is so often a luxury in our lives – and pray. As you come in, mark yourself with the water in the font, as a tangible reminder that this is sacred space and sacred time.
• Bring your Bible: we always have the set reading printed in the news-sheet for the week, but there is something different about taking out your own Bible, looking up the text, and keeping the page open as the sermon is delivered. For those with English as a second language, bring a Bible in your first language. We usually read from the New Revised Standard Version, but bring whatever bible you have, and note the differences.
• Take notes – seriously! Many studies have shown that people are more likely to take in what they are hearing if they write it down at the time, and reflect on it later.
• Talk to John and I about what you have heard, if there is anything you missed or didn’t understand or completely disagreed with.

In return, John and I and many others who take part in worship will do our absolute best to provide you with challenge and encouragement in equal measure, as we all continue to learn what it means to be a faithful, active follower of Jesus.