Jesus often used parables to help people understand the nature and purpose of God's Kingdom. On one occasion, recorded in Matthew's Gospel, he compared it to treasure that is hidden in a field. In the verses that follow, he uses a similar illustration to liken it to a priceless pearl discovered by a merchant. Jesus went on to describe the core message of God's Word in similar ways: We live in a complex and challenging world, and as the people of God, we might not always feel like the curators of a great treasure, but Jesus reminds us that this is what we are. The message of the Gospel is one of timeless hope, of immeasurable love and so we could go on. It is a message that we regularly repeat and share when we come together as church communities - we sing songs, repeat prayers and share God's Word together, all of which speak of this priceless treasure in different ways. But perhaps, because it is so central to our life together as followers of Jesus, we become used to hearing it and forget how incredible and significant this message of life is.

The world in which we live is of course very different to the one in which Jesus first spoke these words, not least in the way in which we now share and communicate the messages that are important to us. This is both a challenge and an opportunity. At one level we can see ourselves confronted by a bewildering mass of messaging platforms, communication apps and social media outlets, but equally, we have the opportunity to connect and engage with people in ways that just a few decades ago would be unthinkable. But it is often not so much those who can master every channel of communication who succeed in this world, but those whose message attracts sufficient interest and recognition to be taken up and shared by others.

This year we are particularly seeking to work with churches to re-remind on another of the power and significance of the message that Jesus called his followers to proclaim - the treasure that is ours to share.

Phil Jump, one of our Regional Ministers offers a reflection on our theme - originally recorded in January 2023.

Our theme from 2022

You can still find some of the resources from our 2022 Theme 'Hold the Light' through this link