We were sent off by our little ‘truth in love‘ circle in Minneapolis to discover another ‘truth in love’ circle in Belfast with the song, “You shall go out with joy and be lead forth with peace…….”
I trust that as a part of the ‘truth in love’ circle that reads my blogs, you will each time, “go out with joy and be lead forth with peace” even as you are being awakened to some disconcerting truths about what is happening in our world today! The bottom line is, “God wins!” In truth God has already won!
The word ‘ecclesia’ translated ‘church’ simply means ‘an assembly of ones being called out from this world to God.’ They are being ‘called out’ of this “world” as a spiritual system. They are being lead together by the Holy Spirit.
The image of Psalm 128 is most alive to me when I think of the word ‘church’ nowadays…….”his wife will be like a fruitful vine… his children like olive shoots….round the table.” Yesterday we had ‘church’ three times round the meal table, with 2 and then 3 and then 4 gathered together by the Holy Spirit to ‘truth it in love’
Again this morning I noticed the table decoration as I ‘broke bread’ in a coffee shop with another aspiring ‘barley overcomer’
Now to return to the photo at the top.
Beleek pottery is a high quality tableware crafted in the Irish border town by that name. In the home where we stayed at first, #10 Waterside View on the shore of Belfast Lough, among the ‘common or garden’ drinking vessels, there was this one solitary…. Beleek mug!
As this was the venue where in the back garden, our Father began the ‘ecclesia’, it occurred to me this mug was a ‘visual aid’ we were being given.
As we lovingly gathered (The ‘mug club’ was also a ‘hug club’!) we usually moved easily into a song, often this one, that Hilary and I had recorded 7 months previously, in another back garden, on the other side of the Lough!
It was as if our Father was saying, the starting point, and the most foundational issue for everyone, is being secure in our identity as God’s beloved children.
The Claddagh symbol on the mug spoke to me first of our having been assembled under the crown of King Jesus.
The chorus, “And I will dwell in the shadow of your wings, and I will rest secure” is taken from Psalm 91. It pictures the mercy seat above the ark of the covenant where each heart is held secure by Christ who is our mercy seat, the hands of the Claddagh symbol representing also the wings of the cherubim.
As God added people to the little circle each brought in his/her hand a part of Christ’s heart to share…. a story, a question, an insight, a prayer, a prophecy, a tongue, another song, a confession, a block of cheese, a teaching, a few quid etc. As each and everyone spontaneously shared their unique and complimentary gifts, Christ’s heart was more fully revealed and the body built itself up in love.
As fate would have it, the one breakage sustained during our 3 week stay – was the precious mug!…….and a most odd breakage it was too.
A ‘heart shaped’ hole appeared in the bottom of the mug!
The group were first made aware of this when I asked someone to pour some water into the mug.
Gasps!…… as folk saw the water poured in at the top….. immediately leaking out of the bottom!
It was as if Father was saying,
“The first order of business is to simply to learn to BE…….in Christ….. as His body…. to receive my heart…..and then to allow my heart to LEAK out through you…… into the world!”