New Year reflection

In my final few days of holidays I am slowly shaking myself awake for another session of tilting at windmills. I received a small email devotional today and want to share the gist of it in my own words.

In the two big football codes last year St George and Collingwood came out on top, beating the Sydney Roosters and St Kilda respectively. Now, please keep in mind that neither the Roosters nor the Saints were bad teams; they were both very good teams indeed. Here is a truth to reflect on this year: In sport, if you are good, chances are that in the last game of the season you will lose. At the end there are two really good teams who play off and only one of them can win. If you are mediocre and it doesn’t really matter, you get used to losing quite early on. Striving to be the best can end in pain.

This is a useful parable for life and it is always helpful for me who suffers from an acute desire to be the best I can be. There is a cost to wanting to be the best. You can train, study and strive your backside off and just as you reach out to touch the peak of Everest somebody reaches that bit further and pips you at the post. I have reached out for any number of Everest’s over the years and occasionally have even enjoyed the view from the top. My dear old Collingwood have played in 42 Grand Finals over their 109 year history and have won just 15 of them. We have a lot in common!

During holidays I try not to answer any phone calls and my darling wife is fairly zealous about guarding me from doing so. She was out this morning and when the phone rang I just couldn’t help myself! I am pleased that I did answer the call as it was a colleague and friend. For some strange reason this person sees me as a mentor and amazingly seeks my wisdom from time to time.

You know, speaking in general terms, the church talks up a storm about doing new stuff and wanting to touch the lives of their community; but too often, when push comes to shove, we don’t really mean it! We want new people to join us but we would prefer it if they looked, thought and lived like us. ‘You are more than welcome but please don’t move the furniture!’

My friend was lost and deeply emotional as they shared the frustration and great hurt of Christian ministry. Their faith in God is without question but faith in the church has taken one hell of a beating. We share a common desire to seek to tell the great gospel story of Jesus but in language and concepts that are understandable to today – 2011.

Jesus had choices. He was a well respected Rabbi and with his charisma, wisdom and clear leading of God could have lead any Synagogue in the Holy Land; maybe even the Temple itself!? His faith was informed by the narratives and examples of the great saints of the past, but his eyes were ever looking at the distant horizon. In striving to be the best, chances are you will lose the final game.

So 2010 is now consigned to the history books because it belongs there and a new season is upon us. History may inform us but the Spirit of God is to be found calling us to those distant horizons.

‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’ John 4:32

I am presently committed to some pretty solid training for the upcoming game. Part of my position on the team is to be a leader and teacher, and I am presently focusing hard on my first few games looking at ‘Moving Closer’ in our faith. In the opening round of the season on Sunday week my goal is to look at the subject of Sabbath, and my Bible reading is taken from Exodus 20:1-21, where Moses receives the Ten Commandments. My main subject matter is found in the first eleven verses but verse 21 gave me some food for thought: ‘Then the people stood at a distance, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.’

Mediocrity allows us to stand at a distance; but I am still keen to tackle the thick darkness.