Mark 1:1-8

Isaiah 40:1-11

2 Peter 3:8-15a

The last few Sunday's I have found myself preaching on Investments. The theme seems to be dominating our world news and it seems to be the message I am finding to share at the moment.

The Parable of the Talent as a story about investing what God has given us and seeing the return

The day of Judgement as the Kingdom of Heaven investing in hungry, thirsty, naked, strangers & prisoners.Calling us to invest in people who don’t look like good investments.

The first day of Advent as a reminder of endings and beginnings as a natural part of the rhythm of life. God is involved, so we should not be afraid we are invited to invest in God’s future

And so to this morning. Isaiah 40 a call to encourage and comfort the people and care for the flock. It is people that God has invested in, it is a people that God is going to rescue - God’s focus, God’s investment

Mark 1 - John the Baptist pictures God investment in infrastructure - making a way straight. God’s investment takes time & resources & planning. 2 Peter reminds us of a patient God

The Big Investment is the “good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God” - God invests everything in us - hope and love and pride and wealth, invested in a people who are called to turn around and follow, invested in a people who have done nothing to deserve such trust, 

Big Question - God has invested so much in each of us - what are we prepared to invest in God?

A day spent skipping accumulated clutter out of Hallfold - we can the see the wall of the old vestry again! And then partying at St. Andrew's. Not much time for reflection - such (sometimes) is life.

Well now that I know how to embed something - here is something else. I saw the Hard Rain exhibition at Greenbelt, it's very powerful and put alongside Dylan's re-interpretation of the song that inspired the photographs it's reminds us of the world we have been given as stewards.