We are ordinary people partnering with God.....

What a wonderful affirmation of the simplicity of our faith!
But what a can of worms it opens up, as we begin to think more deeply on this part of our Mission Statement. For example - if God and I are partners, what part does God play in the enterprise, and what do I need to do? What happens if I slack off, or refuse to do my bit? What freedom do I have to call the shots …?

As I was thinking about these complexities, Bevan reminded me that Augustine once wrote, "Without God, we cannot. Without us God will not".
That seemed to be a very helpful starting place for thinking about our partnership with God:

Augustine does not say “God cannot”. Instead, he affirms that God “will not” - God chooses and desires to be in partnership with us, and limits Godself within the constraints of what that means. Perhaps the choice God makes helps us to see where God’s real priorities are to be found …. and where our primary efforts should be focused, too?

You see, when it comes to merely getting things done, achieving ends, God has all the sovereign power and wisdom necessary to do anything – to work miracles. But there is something that not even God can do alone. And this, it seems, is what God really longs for – loving relationships, and the outworking of their implications in the world, as the foundation and the essence of God’s Kingdom. And, for that, God has to leave us free to choose either to join in, or not.

We are ordinary people, who have been invited to partner with God in love. How about it?