Communion Service Sunday 3rd August – led by David Ramsay
A big thankyou to David for stepping up to lead our worship. He’d been drafted by Chris as she could not get one of our usual preachers for the day. It was not David’s first time leading worship and we had come to expect something a little different from him. And as a few of us had a lunch appointment at 12.15 – brevity was the order of the day!
David’s talk was called M.O.C.F. He’d recently taken his car in for its M.O.T (it had passed) so he challenged us to guess what M.O.C.F might stand for. Tony, at the back, came up with “Ministry Of Christian Fellowship” – close. And David asked us whether we’d ever taken a “Ministry of Christian Faith Test” and explained what it might consist of.
In the M.O.T a car has to pass tests of lights and indicators, break discs and drums, tires and spare, windscreen and wipers, seat belts and seats, exhaust system, fluid levels, horn, and number plate. And David used these same 9 indications as the test of our Christian Faith.
Starting with lights and indicators. The lights lit up the way at nighttime, and the indicators told other drivers and pedestrians which way we’re going to turn. Were we beams of light in our lives? Did we shine with God’s love and His guidance? Did we indicate to others that we were followers of Jesus?
The brake discs and drums were used to slow a car down and bring it to a stop. And we should be the same in our Christian lives: we should slow down and perhaps stop saying what we intended to say. We had difficult decisions in life and needed time to think about them.
Number 3 was the tyres and spare. Well, we’d all got a spare tyre – certainly David knew he had one – and he had one in his car as well! The tyres were there to keep us safely on the road in all conditions. And David wondered whether our feet were firmly and safely grounded in God’s love. Did we help people and carry their load for them?
Then we came to windscreen and wipers. They helped us to see where we were going in wet and windy conditions. Did we, as Christians, have a clear vision of where we were going, especially when times were rough or we were in doubt.
Seat belts and seats. Well seats obviously kept us comfortable, but seat belts were there to keep us safe in case of an accident. Did we emphasize in our lives that God was there to protect us and keep us safe?
The exhaust system was there to collect the harmful gases coming from the engines and then attributes them before it emitted them from the exhaust pipe. Did we watch the words that came from our mouths? Perhaps sometimes we should hold our tongues and not say what we’re going to say in a fit of anger or desperation. We should watch what we said, especially if we said it in God’s name.
The fluid levels were checked to make sure there was enough to allow the engine and the brakes to work efficiently. Did we, in the same way, look out for our bodies? They were our temple to God, so that we were fit and well to spread God’s Word throughout the town and the nation.
The horn was used to make other drivers and pedestrians aware of our presence. Did we use our voice for good, to spread the good news given by Jesus, God’s own Son.
Lastly, number 9, the number plates which identified every car, where it was registered, and the year of its registration. It was unique. Could we, as Christians, be identified as followers of Jesus? When David walked down the street, he couldn’t tell who was a Christian and who was not. For people of some religions, you could tell by their appearance and by what they were wearing what faith they followed. But were we visible to others as Christians in our uniqueness?
We were to ponder these things – just as David had as he prepared his talk for us.
Potters Bar United Reformed Church 