How are you doing with your Smarties?

Apparently in America, Smarties are not like the Smarties that you and I know. In America, Smarties, are a roll of multicolored, chalklike, bite-size candies wrapped in clear plastic, about ten to twelve pieces in a pack. A bit like our Refreshers or Lovehearts. Can you imagine what I mean? They are perfect for sharing.

An American pastor called Kevin was not a huge fan of Smarties, but when he saw little Dustin come into church with a fresh roll, he just had to ask for one. Dustin peeled out a piece and handed it over with a smile. From that day on, for the next two years, every time Dustin got a pack of Smarties, he took out the first one and set it aside for Kevin. Every Sunday morning before the worship Service, Dustin would track Kevin down at church and offer him a Smarty.

Sometimes Dustin would open a pack of Smarties during the week, but he would still save Kevin the first piece. By the time Sunday came, the Smarty was a little mangy and furry with lint, but he never forgot to bring it for Kevin, who would thank him and put the candy in his pocket so he could “enjoy it later.”

Out of ten pieces in a pack, Dustin gave the first part to his pastor. What Kevin saw was a little boy who loved to share and who understood the power of generosity. Since that time, he has asked himself many times, “How am I doing with my Smarties?”

This morning, I’d like to give us an opportunity to think about how we are doing with our Smarties.

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Grace - Come Thirsty

Last week we started off on our journey through Lent, a journey that will explore some of the ideas of spiritual refreshment that are presented in the “Come Thirsty” course. Charlie invited us to come and drink at a well, the well of God’s refreshment for us.

We were introduced to the idea that the word “Well” can remind us of four of the key actions that make up the process of receiving God’s refreshment for the spiritual thirst we feel. We can think of the letters that make up the word WELL standing for Work, Energy, Lordship and Love.

For us to fully receive God’s refreshment, we need to receive Christ’s work on the cross, receive the energy of the Holy Spirit, receive God’s Lordship over our lives and receive God’s unending, unfailing love.

Over the next few weeks, leading up to Easter we will be thinking about each of these in turn, and this week we are focussing on the first of these: receiving Christ’s work on the cross.

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