Little things can make a big difference: that’s the
butterfly effect we were thinking about at Explore last week. Today sees the
launch of our Operation Christmas Child appeal – be sure to fill a shoe box for
Christmas and bring it back to church on Sunday, 6th November!
Little things can make an enormous difference! The butterfly effect also
reminds us we don’t live in isolation – we are part of something much bigger …
especially when it comes to faith. Faith may be very personal to each one of
us, but it is something that we come to and grown in as part of something much
bigger. That’s where church is so important. It is as we come together that we
can share with others when our faith is strong and receive from others when our
faith is going through times of weakness. And if we want our faith to grow then
we need to Grow In Faith Together. On Sundays through to Advent we are going to
be making a start with our GIFT Course, focusing on the Word of Life. The GIFT
course is an initiative of the Congregational Federation. Richard is part of
the team who will be leading the course in our Area of the CF. The first of
four day courses will be on Saturday, 15th October at North Nibley.
If you would like to join that day have a word with Richard.
Text
of the Week: The Lord is my light and my salvation," whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1
Nowhere
is the wonder of God’s creation captured more powerfully than in the cycle of
the butterfly. This video takes up the story as the eggs of a butterfly hatch
into a caterpillar That moment at which
the butterfly emerges is wonderful ... Close up Pupa opens –
It’s
a wonderful image of resurrection and new life that means the world. There’s
more — in our evening on Butterflies Judi introduced us to a remarkable thought
that comes reflecting on this process. Sue Cole is going to share it with us. I
heard a story about a man who found a cocoon of a butterfly. As the man observed
the cocoon day by day, he noticed the appearance of a small opening. He
patiently watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its
body through the little hole. He noticed that although the butterfly struggled
and tried with all its might to break free from the cocoon, It could not. Then
the butterfly stopped making any progress. It appeared that the butterfly had
gotten as far as it could and could not go any fitrther. So the man decided to
help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and cut a wider openihg in the
cocoon. The . butterfly then emerged from the cocoon easih/. However, the
butterfly had a warped and swollen body. Its wings were shriveled and knitted
to its
swollen body. The man continued to observe the butterfly expecting
the
wings to expand and for it to take flight.
Nothing
happened. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around on
the ground with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man did not understand was that the small opening in the cocoon and
the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening was part
of the development of a butterfly. This was God ’s way of distributing and
forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings. Therefore once it
made its way out of the . cocoon, it was ready to achieve flight and reveal the
beauty hidden in its wings.
God,
the creator of all things, teaches us through nature that if we trust
him
even during the greatest struggles and battles of life he will create
us
into a portrait of beauty, elegance, and splendor. He is the eternal
Michelangelo,
Picasso, and Rembrandt. God is the greatest painter,
sculptor,
architect, and engineer of all time. He is the master designer
of
the universe.
God
can create beauty out of ugliness. He can create comfort out of
pain.
He can create order out of chaos. He can create hope out of
despair.
He can create peace out of war. He can create life out of
death.
He can create good out of evil. He can create joy out of sorrow.
He
can create praise out of scorn. God said in the book of Isaiah 61:2-
3
“… To comfort all that mourn... to give unto them beauty for ashes,
the
oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of
heaviness...”
Then
there’s the butterfly effect — small things can make a big
difference.
In
the theory of Chaos (a branch of applied mathematics), there is a
concept
called the “butterfly effect. ” The idea behind the “butterfly
effect
” is that change in one place can have large effects somewhere
else.
The “butterfly effect ” is the concept that a butterfly flapping its
wings
in one location can completely transform the environment in
another
location. In other words, a small change in the atmosphere can ultimately alter
the effects of a weather pattern and climates in other places. For example a
butterfly wing may alter, accelerate, delay, or even prevent the occurrence of
a hurricane in a certain location.
Today’s
the day we launch our Operation Christmas Child shoebox
appeal
- it’s the butterfly effect — one small thing we do can make a
world
of difference far away. It’s also that wonderful miracle of new
life,
of death and resurrection. It’s the message of the butterfly —
God
can create order out of chaos. He can create hope out of despair. He can create
peace out of war. He can create life out of death.
Liberia
is a place that has experienced more than its fair share of death and darkness
- what happened to the shoe boxes that were sent there three years ago is
described in this video clip. “were there was death and darkness We can see
light and hope.”
Video
introducing Operation Christmas Child.
Growing in Faith Together all starts from a small beginning
Over
the next few weeks leading up towards Christmas we are going to share in the
GIFT Course, helping us to Grow In Faith Together.
We
shall be looking at the Word of Life and exploring the way the Bible opens up
for us a whole new way of living as we are drawn into a relationship with God
through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
In
our service people were invited to share their favourite passage from the Bible.
For
one it was the words we used as a refrain through a reading of Psalm 27.1
The
Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?
The
Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Wonderful
words of encouragement.
Think
for a moment of a favourite passage of yours.
Now,
how many people do you think are involved in shaping that reading event?
Who
produced the physical or electronic version you had in front of your eyes?
Who
was involved in the process which brought the events or thoughts contained in
the passage down to us in the Bible?
And
lastly, who has shaped the way you read and understand it? Why is it a
favourite – how does it fit into your life?
It’s
amazing to think of the number of people who did perhaps the smallest of things
in bringing that passage of Scripture right into the heart of your life!
Give
thanks for all those people.
And
reflect on that butterfly effect.
Jesus
was just one person doing so many little things that changed people’s lives for
ever.
What
he did made a difference to each of those who followed him.
Each
of those did things to make a difference in people they met.
Those
little things have gone on down through the centuries in an unbroken chain
until that moment when the life and teaching, the death and resurrection of
Jesus made such a difference in your life.
What
little thing are you going to do this week that will pass that love of God in
Christ on.
Each
of those moments, each of those people, is like the beat of a butterfly’s
wings!!
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