I recently saw Christopher Nolan’s new film The Odyssey. I greatly enjoyed it and would warmly recommend it—although, at almost three hours, you may want to choose your cinema seat carefully! The film has been both a critical and commercial success. Starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope and Tom Holland as their son Telemachus, it has already earned more than $1.1 billion worldwide, becoming Nolan’s highest-grossing film.

Last Sunday was an encouraging beginning to our guest series, The Beauty and the Sense of Christianity. We welcomed guests at each of our four services, and I am thankful to God for every person who came. But the number who attended is not the only measure of encouragement. Just as important were the many invitations that were made. Some were accepted; probably many more were politely declined. Every invitation required prayer, courage and love, and every one was an expression of our desire that others might meet Jesus.