Faithfully laid aside by God

 

Reflection 10^th January 2020 Covenant Sunday

 

I may have said before, but a standing joke amongst many ministers is “They didn’t teach us about that in college”. And it is true, all ministers encounter situations in ministry that we’ve not encountered before, (though I’m sure the same applies in all walks of life.) But I can definitely say they didn’t teach me how to be a minister during Covid at college.

The last nine months have been very much learning on the job. Thankfully, early on I developed the pattern of the weekly Order of Service and Reflection. And many of you have told me how helpful you find these which is a relief.

Nonetheless I must admit to finding ministry in this way to be strange to say the least. Not being able to lead worship in the way I feel called to doesn’t sit well. Similarly, not being able to meet with you whether after service, or at a coffee morning or at a discussion group, doesn’t seem right.

With this in mind, last Sunday I felt down hearted. When all this started last March, I didn’t think (who did?) that we’d still be facing such restrictions in January (and for a few months more I imagine). But then in one of those “God moves in mysterious ways” moments, I received an email from a friend.

My friend emailed me to ask whether I’d been listening to the morning service on Radio 4 at ten past eight. I hadn’t, but my friend told me that the service had included this piece from Cardinal John Henry Newman:

“God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons.

He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments.

Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about.”

The timing by my friend could not have been better as I was already starting to think about our Covenant Service and what I would say.

Cardinal Newman’s words seem to be an excellent tie into our Covenant service. That reminder to us of what it means to be a servant of Christ. A reminder that in serving Christ we can find ourselves in situations we wouldn’t have planned for ourselves. That in serving Christ we can find ourselves being led to do things we wouldn’t normally do.  That we can be serving Christ without knowing it.

Our Covenant Service contains these words

Christ has many services to be done: some are easy, others are difficult;
some bring honour, others bring reproach; some are suitable to our natural inclinations and material interests, others are contrary to both; in some we may please Christ and please ourselves; in others we cannot please Christ except by denying ourselves.
Yet the power to do all these things is given to us in Christ, who strengthens us.

The words of the Covenant Service can speak to us in different ways at different times of our lives. The words remind us that as followers of Jesus we are not promised that all will be well. The words remind us that there will be times when we feel as if we’ve been shunted into a siding off the mainline. But the words remind us that at all times we are bound to Christ and, that in the highs and lows, Christ is with us giving us the strength to go on. Perhaps to enjoy and perhaps to endure. Perhaps to laugh and perhaps to cry.

You may remember that older versions of the Covenant service used a phrase “put me to suffering”. To modern ears it was very problematical. We think of suffering as to feel pain or grief. Or to endure something. Or to sustain loss. But there is a Biblical meaning that is now archaic in modern English. To suffer can mean “to permit” or “to allow”

Think back to the King James Bible and Matthew 19 when Jesus chided the disciples for preventing children coming to him:

¹⁴ But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 19:14 KJV

In that older English Jesus was saying permit the children to come to me or allow the children to come to me.

“put me to suffering” then is more about asking God for his help so that we might permit ourselves or allow ourselves to be fully disciples of Christ. In the good times and the difficult times.

We are saying to Jesus if my following You and Your purpose for my life should lead to joyful consequences and victories to me, I will gladly accept that please ALLOW it.  But if following You and Your purpose for my life should bring painful consequences and seeming defeats, I will bravely accept that too, please ALLOW it.

I am no longer my own but yours.
Your will, not mine, be done in all things,

“Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. He knows what He is about.” Cardinal Newman