East Preston United Baptist Church Presentation Outline
7th August 2018
New Beginnings
Be Gentle and Humble: Understanding and Forgiving
The Bible is littered with stories outlining the life journeys of special people faced with obstacles to be overcome and how they attempted to do that-or not, as the case may be. You may recall the story of Esther (Esther 2:7) who ‘had no father or mother’, but rose to be a queen, presiding with her king, Ahasuerus, over ‘the greatest empire existing at that time’. We can remember Moses and his life journey from Prince to fugitive, shepherd to Leader ‘bringing out the nation of Israel’ from bondage, (Exodus 33:17). What about the un-named servant girl, ‘the spoils of war’, in 2 Kings 5:1-19, torn from her home in War and ends up as the maid servant of the wife of a powerful warrior, named Naaman. The powerful warrior contracts Leprosy and nothing could be done by the healers of the time to cure him. The un-named maid- servant informs her mistress of the prophet Elisha residing in Samaria and eventually Naaman travels to see him to be cured. Desperate times in life demand radical and often life changing decisions and actions. And- what about David- teen shepherd to King of Israel.
The stories cited and there are many more, are lessons for us today in our own journeys in life. A picture of life is portrayed illustrating that life is unfair, often brutal, at times very short, and we are quietly, gently, being advised to use what talents we have been awarded from on high and urged to hone them further as the parable of the Talents urges us to. Develop them, so that we are ready to deal with as best we can in life, whatever befalls us. Urged to dredge into our lived experience and draw from that fount of life, knowledge and lessons that can be helpful in facing and dealing with the pressures of the present.
Mathew 25:14-30 (King James Version)
14: For the Kingdom of Heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.’
Contrary to what may appear to have been the outcome for the servant who was given the one talent by his Lord and buried it, in contrast to the other two servants who had been given five and two talents respectively, and doubled it, God takes all our complexities as a unique creation of his, into account when understanding and examining us.
We do not receive from God, a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ when faced with life struggles we are tasked with addressing. The challenges have a purpose in my view. They are meant to develop us in particular ways, guide us towards a certain direction, shape ourselves in certain ways, making us more likely to become increasingly like Jesus. It is a process, an endless passage of loving oversight of ourselves and being fashioned if we wish it, in ways designed to make us more acceptable, understanding, loving, bearable to live with, and yes, nearer to Jesus. Not too different to how we parent our children or wish to in spite of the challenges. As parents we sacrifice ourselves for our children. We do not count the tears we shed, the sleepless nights worrying about our young, the agony of not being appreciated or acknowledged for our efforts. We have to be selfless, accepting whatever floats our way from time to time in acknowledgement from our children. Living with that, managing that, cherishing that, and continuing to love them and look after them, regardless. So with God, looking after our selves.
This interpretation of challenges faced and how we address them revolves around the fact that each of us are unique, special, beautiful creations of God and the challenges and responses to those, are individually tailored, moulded around our uniqueness, our diversity. What may work for someone else in terms of facing what appears to be a similar challenge may not be suitable for me when facing my own. This raises an important point. We cannot compare the severity and impact of challenges we face. They are like our finger- prints: totally unique. No one else has my finger- prints. No one else has my challenges tailored to address my uniqueness. You have yours and I have mine.
Just as challenges we face in life, all have a purpose, obstacle to be overcome, so do we as individuals created by God in his likeness and crafted if we wish it, by him, have a purpose. We have choices in life. Each of us has a purpose, to discover and use and multiply, if we choose to do so.
In a brief article I wrote on November 25th 2016, titled ‘Everyone has a purpose’ on www.daviddivine.co, I outlined the comments of the head of the Shaolin temple in a film of the religious order in 2011, speaking of the value of ‘worth’. A monk had come to him for advice as he felt that he was worthless, of no value, no significance. The abbot says to the monk ‘… life is an accumulation of experiences…and asked the question, ‘A piece of gold, a pile of dust. Which is the more useful? The monk replies, ‘The gold of course’. The Abbot answered, ‘but to a seed?’ Never underestimate yourself. We all have a purpose in life. We need to find it. Sometimes, others can assist us in that discovery.’
I remember a scene when I visited Mozambique some years ago. I was in a market on an official visit, with armed guards as an escort. I was invited next door, to South Africa, by the then President, to discuss the Housing crisis he had inherited from the Apartheid regime, and after finishing that visit, I wished to visit Mozambique with my wife, Ann. Almost, next door. In the market there was a man with no legs moving around quite quickly with his padded hands, begging, and balancing with his bottom. I was amazed. I had never seen anything like it. The scene prompted me to reflect on how lucky I was. How desperately privileged I was compared to him. The scene remains with me after some twenty years. He had a purpose. It was to remind those of us with legs, to be grateful we have them.
In the Channel 4 News video clip below of a hospital unit for chronically challenged children, considered ‘disabled’, in Vietnam, a wonderful young man named LOI, outlines his purpose in life. His parents gave him up to the hospital‘s care when he was four, as they could not afford to take care of him. Since then -and well into his young adulthood, he lives with the children at the hospital and became a role model for them. He wanted them to realize that they need to be strong and confident for the future and portrays the message to the viewer of the news item that the focus should be on the individual first, not our disabilities. See me. Embrace me, not my percieved disability. I am no threat to you because of how you see me. Allow yourself to accept me as I see myself-strong, confident, uniquely – beautiful, of limitless value. I am. This is Me.
Channel 4 News – Video
LOI wants the viewer to see the children as he does. His family. His Brothers and Sisters. When he touches them in the film I am incredibly moved. It is difficult to watch. The children can at times be disquietingly disfigured. He loves them and they love him. His touch is a moment of love in motion. Their touch of him is an acknowledgement of appreciation. It brought a tear to my eye. It brought to life the Shaolin Abbot’s comment, ‘Never underestimate yourself. We all have a purpose.’ When LOI smiled, it was love expressing itself. I accepted him. I embraced him. He made me feel ‘worthy’ and I was grateful to him. I needed him to reach out to me. Sometimes we need to be in the company of others who bring out the best in us. Thank you LOI.
In the Christian faith, in Corinthians 1:27, it is stated that:
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.
In the words of Pastor Les Ackie, ‘no matter how insignificant we may think we are, our influence will always exceed our expectations when we break free from the inhibitions that limit God’s willingness to use us.’
Continuing on the theme of ‘difference’ and how our looks, how we dress, how we behave, how we relate to one another, how we speak, how we present ourselves, how we express ourselves as the unique creations of God we are, can have negative consequences. Interpretations of others of our selves based on their judgments on what is ‘correct’, ‘age-appropriate’, ‘normal’, can be profoundly damaging and at times deadly, resulting in suicide. Sometimes we forget that on our life journeys we change, are influenced and shaped by the people we meet in life, the challenges we face, the circumstances we encounter, the environment we find ourselves in from time to time, scenery we come across, buildings sometimes we see and are amazed by and so on. We are constantly changing not just physically but socially, emotionally, psychologically, intellectually. The person I was yesterday is likely to be not the person I am today. Let me be Me. Acknowledge Me as I Am and wish to be.
I have slightly been altered by my experiences of yesterday. I have learnt something new. Felt something different. Changed. So when you meet me today you need to acknowledge the possibility that change may have occurred and allow that to be a consideration when you address me.
I was reminded of this when I was in the UK this past fortnight addressing a National Inquiry into social justice issues relating to how societal structures over the past 100 years or so, cared for the most vulnerable in society; children, youth, the poor, homeless, the destitute and hungry. The focus was how to learn from the past and prepare better for the future care of such individuals. In the midst of this rather sad but hopefully anticipated brighter new dawn of care, I accidentally met the next -door neighbour of my dining companion who I was visiting. It turned out he was a poet. I asked him if he would recite one of his poems for me. He immediately did and I was transformed by his rendition. You see, in life, individuals come and go, passing through your life, but leaving a touch that remains. The poet’s name is Anthony Gagbah and I would like to share one of his poems he recited to me, whilst on a balcony on a balmy evening, in London, UK, last week. It is contained in his book, Reflections in Poetry with Uncle Tony, 2011, published by AuthorHouse, UK, Ltd:
Judge me Not in Winter
Judge me not in winter
Lest you know me by a splinter
For it is only a season
Unique for a reason
The others follow soon
Some with the brightness of the moon
They begin with the spring
Whose bells in your ears will ring
When nature at me again smiles
Having abandoned me over the miles
With that comes my assurance
Enough to sustain my endurance
Until it peaks in the summer
When my woes will face the hammer
For then will I be at my best
So speculation may find rest
Then shall I not fear the fall
For they would have known it all
What is being beautifully said here, is that we all change from day to day and that we need to be mindful of that in addressing each other. We need to be Understanding. We need to be Loving. We need to give others the Benefit of the Doubt. We need to give others the chance, permission, opportunity, to change and be encouraged gently along the way. What is also being said here to each one of us in this beautiful Church of God today, amongst Sistren and Brethren trying to be the best we can be, is that we must live in Hope and Faith. Whatever our circumstances, whatever our woes, whatever doubts we have about ourselves in terms of striving towards a better way of living our lives; all that is weighing us down will be hammered out by Faith and Belief in Him, who will carry our burdens, if asked, as he promised, and release us from it. ‘This too shall pass’.
Corinthians 4: 17-18 (Kings James Version)
17 For our light afflictions, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory:
18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Do not be held captive by your circumstances. Do not be consigned to a lifetime of victimhood. Do not be lost. Rediscover your light and go forth.
I am reminded of the parable of the ‘The Prodigal Son’, revolving around the theme of losing something of value through lack of forethought and regrettable human frailty. As outlined in Luke 15: 4-6 and Luke 15:11-24, at some point the young man in question recognises a gap in his knowledge and in his life journey to that date, and begins to appreciate and rediscover what he has squandered and learns from it through the love and patience of family, community and Faith.
This is why we should never give up on ourselves, nor on others. Love our selves and others. Be kind to our selves and others. Be gentle and less critical of our selves and others. Be understanding and forgiving. We are fragile. We need care. Who best can provide that, but our selves in the ever presence of God. We must act on our Belief in Him and action our Faith in Him. Just as he trusts us to be the best we can be, and he will do the rest.
Conclusion
Belief and Faith is enough. All else flows from there.
Thank you for listening.
Have a wonderful Sabbath.
Professor David Divine
7th August 2018