Retirement is bringing us a new sense of freedom. I joked yesterday with Wendy – yes we’re free to pay our own way now! Having spent the past 40 years living in a house (a manse if you wish) that we did not own, and thus the taxes, heating, and even some furniture were provided. The upside now of course is we get to make choices that we could not before. And that is a very good feeling.

What do you want to do tomorrow is often the question we pose to each other most nights. And we can do whatever we want to do…

Some days we head out early to do an errand, and some days we spend the day around the house. The garden has become a real joy for me. Soon we will need to clean up the garden. The forecast still has some 20 to 25 C-degree days in the forecast, but it is the night temperatures that I am watching.

But beyond gardening and weather, there is the importance of relationships. I’ve been convicted around the idea of being salt and light in our community. Without any sense of force or imposing our time or intention on anyone else, we are committed to being helpful to our neighbours, to be Jesus in some way to these people.

Just this week I had the opportunity to meet with and help a man who lost his father suddenly. He actually brought his Dad’s ashes to me for prayer and “as he suggested” that I might do what is needed. In my opinion what was needed was for me to simply listen – yes I gave him a small ceremony for closure, but then we just talked about his Dad.

We gather on Sundays to worship but how we live in our community, what we say and do with our neighbours is where our real worship lives. Romans 12:1 says “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

Then Paul goes on to tell us how that looks!

⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.^[c] Do not be conceited.

¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

I think as Christians in this world, we’ve become more worried about protecting ourselves from the pollution, the sin, of this world, and less worried about how we should salt the culture!

So no matter what decisions we make about what to do today, every day I think, today will give us another chance to be salt and light – because this world needs that.