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Are you ready? (9 February)

Our Thought for the Week today comes from Andrew Openshaw, member of EBA Council and minister at Homelands Free Church.

Are you ready?

What are you like when you need to leave the house at a specific time? Are you ready at least five minutes ahead of time, or are you more lastminute.com ?

Our family is equally split into both camps, so if timing is particularly important, I’m afraid I often tell everyone we need to leave 15 minutes before we actually do, just to ensure a prompt departure!

I’ve been thinking about readiness over the last couple of days, as Homelands, the church where I minister had Graeme Ross, our regional minister, speaking on Sunday, using the theme question “Are we ready to cast our nets on the other side” from John 21

It seems to me, being ready can mean different things.

As a child I would spend time in the holidays with my grandparents in East Hull and we would often walk past the local fire station and above the main doors, where the engines would rush out in case of an emergency call, were the three words “Ready, Aye, Ready” (picture below)

I don’t know why this image and those words stuck in my mind, but they did.

Readiness for someone in the fire brigade concerns things done in the past, training, experience, equipment etc. mixed with something about an attitude in the present.

I think the same can apply to us as individuals and as churches.

Being ready to answer God’s call to follow him, to be disciples, involves both our journey so far and our attitude in the present moment.

We can’t change what is in the past, but we can look back and see the spirit at work and we can try to ensure our current path and future journeys are well placed to increase our readiness to follow and serve. Most of all we can pray that God will help our attitude of heart in the present.

It’s harder than ever in this season to make plans, it seems so much easier not to rock the boat, not to risk something different, but I am increasingly convinced we are at a watershed moment. I pray that I, that you, that we will be ready to be the people we are called to be.