Nurturing tender shoots of faith

12 May 2022 • From Bishop Richard Jackson

This week, Bishop Richard re-connects with those he has confirmed within the last two years.  Their testimonies tell of 'Christian friends being there for them when personal tragedy or difficulty prompted them to ask difficult questions.  Stories of a gradual awakening, a warming of spiritual interest; a discovery of love that gave meaning and purpose.  They are stories of facing the reality of failure, and yes – sin – and discovering acceptance and forgiveness. They are evidence that God is at work in our communities.... But they also emphasise the importance of our relationships .... It was generally the little things: the ordinary, the kind, the persevering.'

'They point to the spiritual value of ordinary things we do as human beings that in the power of the Holy Spirit can communicate the reality of God and draw others to him.  We can do these things whether we are 8 or 80!  God has not left himself without witnesses.  Those witnesses are all of us.  May God fill us afresh with his Spirit that we may live and share the Gospel and continue to draw others to discover that love, acceptance, forgiveness, meaning, and purpose for themselves.'

A full transcript of this week's video is available here. For other transcripts, visit the Bishop of Hereford's Message section of the diocesan website.