Servant of everyone

Jesus said that the greatest among you must be a servant. What does this mean? Possibly in Jesus time it meant slave. Someone with no rights owned by another. Being a servant could be great subject matter for a sermon but what does it actually involve?

One of my friends is in a very senior leadership role in our Church with massive responsibility. I had to go to the place he lives in for a meeting a few days ago. He met me at the door where he was chatting to someone else, went with me into the house made me a cup of tea and we had a chat before our meeting. He also has responsibility to care for one of the community minibuses and regularly cleans it out. He could quite reasonable claim he is too busy and noone would object. He has the habit of a servant.

Some people (even some leaders) use serving as a strategic tool so when there is a task to be done that is "in the public eye" they will get involved but it can be the equivalent of the Pharisees giving alms or praying on street corners and maybe "they have their reward". I would be concerned about following such a leader, he may serve, sometimes, but he isn't a servant. As soon as it's not convenient or he's stressed out or feeling like he needs a break his service drops away.

I feel that there is a danger of church leaders becoming "Guru's" who have lots of wisdom but when it comes to the application of the commands of Jesus in the heart fall short. Jesus said "I am among you as one who serves", that carries a sense of continuation, of habit.

Think about the old time servant (I am sure that T.V. programmes like "Downton Abbey" have glamourised it somewhat). They work long hours, have no voice, often weary. Most of them I am sure had they the opportunity would have got out into an easier life. Jesus advocates, nay, commands that we should become servants (with all that would have involved in his day). Is that a radical solution for a church looking for advance?

Ifs

The word "If" counjours up two pieces of writing. The first is the famous poem by Rudyard Kipling "If you can dio this that and the other without it bothering you then you'll be a man my son" or words to that effect. The other is a collection of sayings by Amy Carmichael gathered into a small book saying things like "If the ultimate, the highest cannot be asked of me, if my fellows hesitate and ask another, then I know nothing of calvary love" again or words to that effect. There is a similarity between the two. I used to have the little Amy Carmichael book and it was one of my prized possessions, I used to regularly beat myself up psychologically after reading it.

These days I treat such writings with a great deal of suspicion. They seem now to be a bit self righteous; an unreachable bar. I know Amy Carmichael spent a lot of time bedridden in the days before T.V. I guess you have got to occupy youself somehow. She is a person I greatly admire, don't get me wrong, but her writings didn't do me much good as an intense young christian wanting to be holy. As a not particularly macho bloke Rudyard Kipling's "If" just left me feeling inadequate.

What I believe defines a person is not the gritty determination to overcome all obstacles but the failures, the skin of the teeth escapes. The lucky goal that goes in off your backside. None of us are good enough that's why we need Jesus.

Dentists waiting rooms

When I sit in the waiting area of my dentist there are two watercoulour pictures on the wall opposite. They are obviously by the same artist and on the face of it of the same scene. the scene is a large white house with several sections with different roof heights on top of a hill. Surrounding the house is grassland and some wooded areas. Although the pictures appear to be of the same building they are drawn from a different place. One of the things I try to do is work out by looking at one picture where the artist was located when he drew the other one. I think I have it worked out but it is not conclusive.

In life what we see depends a lot on where we are looking from. That is why two people describing the same thing sometimes differ massively in what they describe. I don't think it is possible to really climb into someone elses shoes; however, the recognition that there are other veiws than our own which can be accurate, if different from ours is one step down the road towards unity.

Nuclear power and other random thoughts.

I was driving to work today thinking about the environment (like you do). If only you could harness the power of nature somehow so that you could create clean energy. As I thought about it I realised that that is what has happened with nuclear power. Scientists have done that. Unfortunately the result is - a bomb - bad. I have read about all this radioactive waste stored underground in the U.S. and it worries me. Nuclear power is like a very gradual explosion, its not going to blow you apart straight away but it is only a matter of time before it does. One thing is certain we are all going to die sometime so maybe the best thing is to do the best with the life we've got.

Changing the subject, I had a tinnitus free day yesterday. It's back today, but yesterday was wonderful and I am grateful for it. Maybe it will go altogether; I have experienced a few noise free times recently (but never a complete day). Even if it doesn't, yesterday stands as a great day because of it. I have been praying of course and will continue to do so.

Revision to new song

This is kind of final version, I have taken advice and replaced some weak or cliched words.

In him we live, the Lord of all creation

Who spoke his life into our hearts of stone

Filled with the breath of his own Holy Spirit

Jesus our source, our saviour and our home

He is the light who scatters all our darkness

Dispelling doubt and vanquishing our fear

He’s our abundance, life is overflowing

In him we live and walk, our way made clear.

In him we move, whose hands restored the broken

Changing forever those who dared believe

Commanded storms to cease with his authority

We’re by his side; his courage we receive

And by his Spirit we defeat dark powers

The sick are healed, the good news we proclaim

Jesus is Lord! This is our shout of triumph

In him we move, his is the highest name.

In him we are, his nature our inheritance

Our strivings quelled, our anxious voices stilled

The God of peace enriching our identity

Creating calm, with Sabbath rest we’re filled

And on that day when we shall stand before him

Perfect and whole, transformed, secure and free

The shadows gone, the earthly grave behind us

In him to live and move and ever be.

New song

Wrote a hymn today, having been encouraged to get the creative juices flowing. Have not written the tune yet, at the moment it's "Danny Boy". Here it is

In him we live, the Lord of all creation

Who spoke his life into our hearts of stone

Filled with the breath of his dear Holy Spirit

Jesus our source, our saviour and our home

He is the light who scatters all our darkness

Dispelling doubt and vanquishing our fear

He’s our abundance, full to overflowing

In him we live and walk, our way made clear.

In him we move, whose hands restored the broken

Who raised the dead, spread hope throughout the land

Commanded storms to cease with his authority

We’re by his side; we’re walking hand in hand

And by his Spirit we defeat dark powers

The sick are healed, the good news we proclaim

Jesus is Lord! This is our shout of triumph

In him we move, his is the highest name.

In him we are, his nature our inheritance

Our strivings quelled, our anxious voices stilled

The God of peace moving in our identity

Creating calm, with Sabbath rest we’re filled

And on that day when we shall stand before him

Perfect and whole, complete, secure and free

The shadows gone, the earthly grave behind us

In him to live and move and ever be.

Aging

Well I have passed another birthday since my last blog; 59 now. Apart form the strange face that looks at me from the other side of the mirror I don't feel OLD as such. Aging is both an expanding and a contracting experience. Physically there is a shrinking both in capability and size but the wisdom is greater and its tend to improve output. In terms of attitude it seems one becomes both more tolerant and less tolerant at the same time more big hearted particularly towards younger people but suffering fools less gladly.

I think I prefer being older although I imagine I will find it more and more frustrating dragging my body around as I really get old, for now the balance is good.