This week I have been at the Marmingatha region Ministry Conference.  At the conference we were privileged to listen to The Rev’d Dr. Brian Rosner the Principal of Ridley College for the Bible Studies.

Hi talks were centred around the theme of ‘Being known by God’  His starting assumption was that the key to being human is, ‘being known’.   For Christians this means being known by God.

We are often encouraged that part of the search for meaning is to know who you are.  I was struck by the fact that we discover who we are through being known by others.  As a result of this, it seems to me that those who come to our church will feel they belong when two things happen.  First of all when we so welcome them that they feel that we genuinely know  who they are.  Not merely that we know their name and their job, and family, but that they know that people here are interested in them enough to understand them.

I pray that we would really work hard at our welcome of newcomers so they they do feel welcomed and understood – really known by us.

Secondly they will feel they belong when they have a genuine encounter with the living God that will mean that they know that God truly knows them.