Carpe DIem - it's a phrase first used by Roman Poet Horace and made famous by Robin Williams in "Dead Poet's Society'. Carpe Diem - seize the day. It's a phrase that has been used to motivate people to grab hold of life today and live like there is no tomorrow. But the real meaning of that phrase means 'Do everything today to make tomorrow better.' Today Jesus gives us his own version of Carpe Diem. As the anointed Son of God, Jesus ushers in a new movement of grace as he declares who he is and what he's on about. Today, Jesus brings good news which makes life beautiful today, no matter who you are or the situation in life you find yourselves, and life tomorrow even better. It's a movement that you are invited to receive and participate in...so which way will you move? That's the question we will explore today.

#5 and final in series: Zero Gravity.

It's used as a measure in every sphere of life. Legally, medically, mentally, individually, organisationally, financially, educationally, and for communities. Capacity: the ability to produce or deliver with the resources that are available. The ability, power or competence to do or understand something. Businesses and churches have lived over the last two years with maximum capacity, reduced capacity, limited capacity. We have heard reports about people suffering from surge capacity - feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope mentally with what has happened, or having a diminished capacity to make decisions, or depleted capacity to contribute. Maybe you have even uttered statements like, "I just can't deal with that right now", or "I'm stretched, I just can't take on/do any more at this time." They are capacity statements. It's an acknowledgment that the energy is low, the resources have run dry, the vessel is empty.

Today as Jesus begins his public ministry in John's Gospel, he deals with the capacity question we constantly face and reveals the truth that when our capacity runs out, his presence brings forth something new which tastes better than we can ever imagine.

#4 in series: Zero Gravity

“What should we do then?” It's a question that John the Baptist is asked, not once but three times. The crowds ask it. The tax collectors ask it. The soldiers ask it. It’s the question we also ask at every transition point in life's journey. We ask it when thinking about our future, or making decisions. We ask it when we've messed up or when we are overwhelmed or paralysed by the enormity of circumstances confronting us. We ask it when we are excited about new possibilities or new directions and are uncertain about which choice to make. John's response to that question is both simple and practical and gives us a concrete way to live with focus as we step into 2022.

#2 in series: Zero Gravity

New Year's Resolutions...Lose weight. Save money...Be a better _____! (you fill in the blank). From year to year, the resolutions don't change much for people. Yet year after year, it takes about six weeks to go back to the same old patterns, where we tell ourselves the same old stories, and berate ourselves for listening to the same old voices. And not much changes. The gravity of life brings us down, the burden of our past holds us back, the weight of expectations ground us. Each year we get look back over the past year and it reveals who and what has laid claim to our life. What if that could change for 2022? What if we stopped rehashing the past and talking about what we could’ve, would've or should’ve done, or how we can improve ourselves and let ourselves be more fully claimed by the Message of Christmas - God’s faith in us, God’s hope for us, God’s love of us. How would that transform 2022 and enable you to live a weightless, zero gravity life? We'll explore that today?

#1 in new series: Zero Gravity