A letter from Patty

Greetings from Patty, converted by the grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

To the people of God on the Peninsula,

Grace to you and peace from the Triune God, who created, redeemed and purified us, and to whom all and honour be now and for ever. Amen.

Our salvation rests in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ, who by his life and resurrection offers us new life. New life that reflects the love, mercy and grace of God.

Grace is a gift, freely given. We are saved, not by works or keeping rules, we are saved because that is the nature of God.

Salvation is not earned or merited, so watch out for false teachers who try and lead you astray, and no-one is to tell another that they are not good enough for God’s grace.

I know some of you find it hard to believe that you are loved by God. You don’t have to change for God to love you, for God to offer you new life.

“Most of us were taught that God would love us if and when we change. In fact, God loves you so that you can change. What empowers change, what makes you desirous of change is the experience of love. It is that inherent experience of love that becomes the engine of change.” ― Richard Rohr

It is by the life and love of Christ that you are transformed. You are not the agent of your own transformation, you may be able to make some changes in your own lives; but the change that comes from the love of God, the grace of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit who lives within you, is so much more than you can do yourselves. It is a complete makeover of heart and mind and soul.

And when you are changed by your relationship with God through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, then that will show in your lives. For freedom, Christ has set you free.  

You are free to live as the people of God, free from the burden of guilt and shame. But you are not to use your freedom to hurt, exploit or abuse other people.

The freedom you have is freedom to love,
You are free to be joyful,
You have freedom to be at peace and work for peace.
You have freedom to be patient,
you are free to be kind and generous,
you are free to be faithful and gentle,
you are free to control ourselves.
You are freed from the need to hate those who hate you.
You are freed from the need to respond with anger.
You are freed from the need to allow hate and greed to win.
You are free to love God, love each other and love the world for which Christ died.

If you have been made free by Christ, why do you allow yourselves to be enslaved again? You need no longer be slaves to public opinion, jealousy, anger, and quarrelling.

When you live by the Spirit, it will show by the way you live. You will no longer seek to outdo each other, or to be the most important person. Instead you will seek to serve as Jesus served those he met. You will work together as the body of Christ, always working for the kingdom of love and peace and grace.

Remember that your salvation is not something you earned, you don’t deserve salvation. Just as I don’t deserve salvation. But just as God has worked in my life, God also works in your life.  As many of you already know, I grew up not knowing God, not praying, not reading the Bible, not going to church. But I had a yearning for something that was missing in my life. And when I heard the gospel, a gospel of love and freedom and salvation. A gospel of the forgiveness of sins and new life, I had found what I had been missing. God had been there all along, but I had not recognised God in my life.

You are a new creation, and that is everything! And that will show in your life. You can’t expect to pick raspberries from a pumpkin vine, and you don’t expect to get apples from planting onions, so you get out of life what you put in.

When you live filled with the Holy Spirit, when you let the Spirit direct your life, then people will see that. You will be loving, kind and generous. You will be at peace, full of joy, and patient – with yourself and with others. You will be gentle and faithful and show self-restraint. Live by the Spirit, be guided by the Spirit.

You are all one in Christ. Because your salvation is not earned, but a gift of grace. You are all God’s children, sisters and brothers, all one in the Lord. So do not think of yourself more highly because of where you were born, or because of your gender, or your job. And do not think less of yourself because of where you were born, or because of your gender, or your job. You are all one in Christ.

Do not boast about your achievements, boast only in the cross of Christ. Through the cross the world no longer has power over you. You belong to Christ. And illness and pain and age doesn’t change that.
What in life could be more important than love and forgiveness and grace? What could be more important than salvation?

Remember:

You are loved.
You are a new creation.
You belong to Christ.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen