My story

Sunday's sermon challenged me. Following on from a previous message about the missional church, we reflected on what our message to the world is - what is the good news that we share? The encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well formed the basis of the sermon. Rather than looking at how Jesus talked with her, we focused on how she shared her story. "Come and meet a man who told me all about myself", she said.

Her 'testimony' was noticeably short on religious jargon. It was simply her story in her words and spoken with enthusiasm. No wonder the crowds came out to see Jesus - she had experienced an encounter with Jesus and the telling of her story was attractive to others - it was good news.

In the journey that every minister makes through probation before being ordained, there are many prescribed occasions when we are invited to share our story in public. And (like most others) I have tended to reach back some twenty years and dust off the story of my first conscious encounter with Christ.

But what is my story this week - spoken in honest, Michael-language? In what ways have I encountered (or not encountered) Christ this week? And can I tell the story without having to use all the right words which will make it respectable?