Dear friends,

We are in Lent and I am sure we all have already made special plans how you are going to spend these 40 days. It’s a time of reflection, thanksgiving, prayer, fast and repentance.  Ash Wednesday gave me thought that who we are, and who we belong to as well or what will be our end.

“We are dust and to dust we shall return.” Yes, we belong to our God spiritually, but physically our body belong to the dust and to dust we are going to return. May we know that fact not just on Ash Wednesday, one day, but all the days of our life. This is a very scary truth, but we can’t change or deny this truth of life.

Soon after ashes on forehead there was a holy communion, and I was thinking that how great our God is he reminded us that how we should live in this world very thoughtfully and soon after He gave us his body and blood to give us strength to live in this world. It reminded me what Paul said in his letter to the Rome in Romans 12:2. ”Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. 
I want to urge you my dear brothers and sisters, to take some time for reflection about this truth. Our world is broken in so much pain and trouble.

We know how blessed we are that we have the Lord available 24/7 ready to listen to us. Who knows our problems and he listen to our cry too.

So, in these special days, spend some time with confidence believing in your prayer, that your prayer for the world will make some difference to your life, others lives and in your world.   

We need to have faith in Jesus Christ as He is our true friend and saviour. He is the true friend who takes away all our pain and grief. As we all sing this song may we remember our true friend and the cost He paid on the cross for us all so, we all can live life in all its fullness. Amen

What a friend we have in Jesus 
All our sins and griefs to bear 
What a privilege to carry 
Everything to God in prayer

Oh, what peace we often forfeit 
Oh, what needless pain we bear 
All because we do not carry 
Everything to God in prayer

Have we trials and temptations? 
Is there trouble anywhere? 
We should never be discouraged 
Take it to the Lord in prayer

Can we find a friend so faithful 
Who will all our sorrows share? 
Jesus knows our every weakness 
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

By: Alan Jackson

"O Lord, make this Lenten season different from the other ones. Let us find you again". Amen.

Rev Kathreen Shahbaz

Good morning everyone

I was playing a Red Light Green Light game, (I’m sure you know that game) with my boys, it was fun, but I did not win the game. They both were explaining to me that when it shows a red light you need to stop and don’t move, if you follow this, you will win, it is very easy mummy.  I stopped there and started thinking that they were right. This is a very simple rule to win, If I just follow the commands.

Friends, I was also thinking how we behave or follow the command when God gives us a red light and a green light and how do we recognise those lights in our everyday life? All we need to do is just follow the instructions, and to realise where these instructions are and recognise the voice, and signs of the commander/Lord. When God gives us a red light, He is asking us to stop what we are doing, be still and know that I am the Lord your God, be sensitive to it. And when God overrules our plans to implement His own plans in our lives, just say, Amen! (It’s not easy, trust me I know but it’s not impossible).

God says in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. Because he wants us to win this life’s game and He is on our side, working for our behalf so we can have a successful life.

The Psalmist says in Psalm 32:8: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;  I will counsel you with my loving eye on you”.

May God continue to lead us to a place of peace, stillness, prosperity, and happiness. May we get time for stillness in our lives and reflect when God shows us red light in Jesus’ mighty name I pray. Amen.
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with lots of love and blessings. 

Rev Kathreen Shahbaz

Dear friends, 

I was thinking how we can take care for our body, mind, and soul, as I always put myself behind others. However, after having two sermons over body, mind, and soul, I think that most of the time we think that oh, we cannot help what our mind will think, heart will feel, or our soul will follow? But we are wrong to think in this way that we cannot control our body, heart, and mind. The mind is governed by the Spirit, life and peace. You either give your mind over to the control of the world, external influences, and circumstances, or you give it over to the control of the Holy Spirit.

What would a life like that look like? Well, imagine not being so fearful anymore, just moving on and giving everything into God’s hand. Imagine facing financial difficulties, rejection, and obstacles without giving in to discouragement. Imagine acknowledging the mistakes you’ve made in the past but moving confidently into the future. Most of the time we are stuck, or I would think that Satan put this in our hearts and tried to give us that low esteem, low mood, and the spirit of fear and timidity. Which looks like you are still making mistakes.
But the Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

If I give attention to this thought, then I am going to give my mind control over me and my body. Instead of letting my mind control me I give my mind to the Holy Spirit.
I believe that no one is perfect and we in this body can never be perfect therefore, dear friends don’t let Satan steal your joy and rebuke Satan and be happy with your healthy mind, body and spirit and love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.
May God set you free from the spirit of restlessness and strive; in Jesus’ mighty name I pray! God bless you.
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With lots of love and blessings. 

Rev Kathreen Shahbaz

Dear Friends,

I was having a conversation with someone about my future destination or where I can see myself in God’s future ministry? Well, thinking of these questions led me to recall my past. Where I was in 2001 when I accepted Christ as my personal saviour, where I am now and where I will be in God’s future ministry?
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I have the record of all those people whom I talked to and tried my best to tell them about Christ’s love. Some are now a very strong believer, still in touch with them , and some are still struggling but felt the spark of Christ’s light in their lives. As Paul wrote in his first letter to Corinthians 9:22 “To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I might by any means save some.” And that is not because of me but because of God and the Holy Spirit who works through you and me to enter other people's world so they may experience and know things from their point of view. Those are the best movements and always give me more strength in my life when I tell people about God. 

Friends, it is not easy to reach the destination God had set or ordained for you, you will have to sail through the storms. There’ll be days when you wonder how you’re going to make it, or you just sit and pray to God saying sorry God I am not able to make it, but by God’s grace you will. Our lives' storms reveal how well we know the Lord. In hard times we discover the strength of our connection we have with God.

So, no matter where we were in the past, we came through yes, Praise the Lord, where we are in present, we will sail through in this storm too, and where we will be in our future, we will be serving God and winning the souls for His kingdom, through His Holy Spirit. So, be strong and courageous and we will sail through this storm.

Just sit in a quiet and peaceful moment and reflect in this question in your lives that where you will be in God’s future ministry? And how will you tell His good news and His love to the world? As it's not the job of collared people only but the job of all God’s called people.
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May, God almighty will continue to be your strength and shield; in Jesus’ mighty (Amen)

Lots of love and blessings.

Rev Kathreen Shahbaz

Dear friends,

So, finally Christmas day is over for the world, after all the busy schedule, wrapping, packing, decorating the house and counting down the days with uncertainty of the circumstance about what is going to be next? Is it going to be a lockdown or how are we going to celebrate church services on Zoom or in Church building is all done. Finished holidays and back to normal life but with the New Year instead of 2021 we are in 2022, Praise the Lord.  New year with new resolutions.

Making new year resolutions is routine now. Maybe some people are much stronger than me and you have many resolutions for every new year and succeeded and well done to you all. But, in my case, I tried and tried for the first few weeks or months very strictly to work on my resolution to remember but I keep forgetting to follow 100%. I am still on that same resolution. Today, I will share with you all what my resolution was and is still that same and it will be the same until I achieve that 100%.

My new year resolution every year is John Wesley’s prayer.
There will be hard copies available in the church if anyone wants to keep this treasure and give it as a new year gift for yourself and your family.

A Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition:
  
I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put me to what you will, place me with whom you will.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be put to work for you or set aside for you,
Praised for you or criticised for you.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and fully surrender all things to your glory and service.
And now, O wonderful and holy God,
Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, 
you are mine, and I am yours.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
Let it also be made in heaven.  Amen.

If we just read Wesley’s covenant pray and reflect on each and every single word and make this prayer our own prayer and follow Christ’s teaching that is written in Luke 9:23.

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

And another one of my favourite prayers from one of my favourite saints, St Julian of Norwich stated in her book “Revelation of Divine Love” chapter 5 page 40.  

“God, of your goodness, give me yourself; you are enough for me, and anything less that I could ask for would not do you full honour. And if I ask any thing that is less, I shall always 
lack something, but in you alone I have everything.

May we ask to God in this new year of 2022, for God’s presence in our life, family, churches, communities and in our world because In God alone we have everything. Amen.  

Lots of love and blessings.
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Rev Kathreen Shahbaz