MAC KIRK

 The Gifts we Practice at Ascension Ascension and Its Practical Meaning Ephesians 4 The Fact of the Ascension of our Lord is well known . Ephesians 1:20 . God has raised Christ from the dead and " set Him (Christ) at His own right hand in the heavenly places....and gave Him to be head over the church....which is His body..." We as Christians have been " raised up and made to sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" 2:6 In chapter 4 it says when He ascended He gave "gifts" to Christians. Some were pastors and teachers, some evangelists....to " edify the body of Christ." Note to every one of us as Christians grace is given to serve and do His Will vs. 7 This makes me think of the shiny bright car that will not start. If we are Christians and live in the Spirit we have been given faith in Christ who has ascended into heaven by God's power. Our gifts are not to be just shown but to be used . The shiny car that will not start is not any use but to

 Prayer- Rogation Sunday 5th After Easter.   ( As an introduction....) "Let Yourself Be Useless" "Prayer is not a way of being busy with God instead of with people. In fact, it unmasks the illusion of busyness, usefulness, and indispensability. It is a way of being empty and useless in the presence of God and so of proclaiming our basic belief that all is grace and nothing is simply the result of hard work. Indeed, wasting time for God is an act of ministry, because it reminds us and our people that God is free to touch anyone regardless of our well-meant efforts. Prayer as an articulate way of being useless in the face of God brings a smile to all we do and creates humor in the midst of our occupations and preoccupations. Thinking about my own prayer, I realize how easily I make it into a little seminar with God, during which I want to be useful by reading beautiful prayers, thinking profound thoughts, and saying impressive words. I am obviously still worried about the

 Easter 3 3rd S of Easter John 21 :1-14 "Silence means rest, rest of body and mind in which we become available for him whose heart is greater than ours. That is very threatening; it is like giving up control over our actions and thoughts, allowing something creative to happen not by us but to us. Is it so amazing that we are so often tired and exhausted, trying to be masters of ourselves, wanting to grasp the ultimate meaning of our existence, struggling with our identity? Silence is that moment in which we not only stop the discussion with others but also the inner discussions with ourselves, in which we can breathe in freely and accept our identity as a gift. “Not I live, but He lives in me.” It is in this silence that the Spirit of God can pray in us and continue his creative work in us. . . . Without silence the Spirit will die in us and the creative energy of our life will float away and leave us alone, cold, and tired. Without silence we will lose our center and become the