Short Reflection - Peter and Jesus

In Matthew's gospel, chapter 16, we have the account of Jesus asking his disciples, "who do you say I am?" Peter speaks up, "you are the Messiah, Son of the Living God!" Jesus then proceeds to tell Peter who he is. The Rock, with the keys to heaven and hell, what a man . . . except - he isn't. This is the same Peter who, after this statement from Jesus - cuts off a soldier's ear in anger, somehow falls asleep when he supposed to be keeping watch, denies he knows Jesus and, even after the ressurection AND receiving the Spirit, can't get his head around the invitation from Jesus to the gentiles and the fact that they can be fully part of all the God has planned . . . so much for a rock, more like a blamanche.

Three quick thoughts:

• Peter discovers who he is, when he recognises who Jesus is. We can search our whole lives long, looking for meaning and searching for identity - when we need to start with Jesus, not ourselves.
• Jesus sees Peter (and we know this with hindsight, keep that in mind as you think about how Jesus sees those around you - and you), not just who he is when he makes this statement, but who he is going to be. The faith, the courage the passion - that will be there. We need to remember that this is also how Jesus sees us, all that we might become.
• We need to look at others through Jesus eyes and see people with potential, not just people with problems.

It was Peter who went on to preach the first sermon and saw the Church born at pentecost, he was also the first Bishop / Father in the Faith . . . we need to think on that when we pray for our Bishops, our church leaders today . . . people of faith, but people none the less - and with the issues facing the church today - we need to lift them all up in our prayers more than ever.

Leadership Thought # 3

I was hungry,
And you formed a humanities group to discuss my hunger.
I was imprisoned,
And you crept off quietly to your chapel and prayed for my release.
I was naked,
And in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.
I was sick,
And you knelt and thanked God for your health.
I was homeless,
And you preached a sermon on the spiritual shelter of the love of God.
I was lonely,
And you left me alone to pray for me.
You seem so holy, so close to God.
But I am still very hungry – and lonely – and cold.

This poem, from the prayer letter last December (on the Great Lakes Outreach page) is not so much a Leadership thought as a Leadership Slap in the Face. This poem was written by someone who had asked for help from a church leader, but been rejected - writing this poem in response and giving it to the Shelter.

If everyone we rejected was as articulate and proactive in response to our rejection, maybe we would be more aware of the damage we cause people - every day, just by living a life that ignores the needs of others. I am on a Church of England stipend as a lay worker and am near the top of the pile in terms of what I have - that is just a fact. When we get global in our thinking about who we are, we might, in our eyes become less significant - but, we have so much - that we can do so much with. Our attitude and our action is all about awareness. The more aware I become the more my attitude should be impacted, the more my actions should be shaped by what I know. Awareness is one of the greatest attributes a leader could have.

Leadership thought # 2

Yes, I know, two in one day. I was listening to "great lives" on Radio 4 the other day (no, really) and the great life being discussed was the conductor Thomas Beecham. Now, I am not suggesting his life is one to emmulate, you will have to listen to the programme . . . but, he said something ver interesting in an interview about conducting - and it got me thinking about leadership and the culture of the church. When meeting a bunch of talented individuals for the first time, he would get them to play a piece of music - with him conducting, straight through from start to finish - he would then highlight the areas that needed work and go through the whole piece again, often without errors the second time around. He then moaned in the interview about those conductors who thought they knew better than the orchestra - and would procede to lecture them about how to play rather than let them play. Subsequently, it would take them at least half a dozen run throughs to get a good performance. The point he was making, which applies to leadership, was "let them play"!

How often do leaders patronise their congregations, volunteers, people and seek to instruct them - without actually seeing what they could do? We are surrounded by experts, but it is not the expert that gifts people, it is not the expert who has planted raw talent and ability, it is also not for the expert that people are given gifts, or have natural talents in the first place . . . we need to let people play, an old song I used to sing was "make me an instrument" - leading to "make us a symphony" - more leaders are needed who will let people risk it and actually "play" rather than lecture people about "playing" but leave no time for it.

Leadership Thought # 1

This isn't mine. It is Brennan Manning's, that genius author of "The Ragamuffin Gospel". Iwas reading him this morning and, in thinking about the resurrection, he says this, "If Jesus did not rise, we can safely assume the Sermon on the Mount as a magnificent ethic. If he did, praise does not matter. The sermon becomes a portrait of our ultimate destiny."

Essentially, he says, everything Jesus did on earth, the things he said, the way he was "with us" God Emmanuel, needs to be looked at in the light of the resurrection. "The gospel claims there is a hidden power in the world - the living presence of the risen Christ". This is how he finishes the reflection, but "hidden"? Yes in one sense, as Paul says, . . . in jars of clay (2 Corinthians 4 verse 7) . . . at the same time we are also encouraged, in the Sermon on the Mount, "to let your light shine . . . . that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven." (Matthew 5 verse 16)

Which is it? It is both! This treasure is within and not from us - crucially, we so often need reminding of that. How many times have I done something for God and (if I have been praised or encouraged) it suddenly becomes something I have done for God. The power belongs to him, the glory is his . . . the point of Jesus' statement "let your light shine", is that if we live the Sermon on the Mount (which is only possible because of the resurrection) . . . then that which shines, points those who see us to Christ. John the Baptist has this cracked when he says, "He must increase, but I must decrease" John 3 verse 20 . . .

Oh God, I pray for more leaders who choose to become less - especially me.

Vocational youth, children's or family ministry in the Church of England? - think again

OK, I am being deliberately provocative with that title, but you would be hard pushed to find a mention of youth, children's or family ministry mentioned on the Church of Englands website. Coming up on May 3rd is Vocations Sunday, what a change to celebrate all that our salaried workers do, up and down the country - week in week out, on the coal face of parish based ministry. But, no . . . here we have the information that "covers" us . . .

Accredited Lay Ministry - There are those who feel called to enable the Christian community to exercise its ministry in the world but who do not believe that they are called to ordination. Accredited lay ministry is open to men and women who are selected and trained in the same way as candidates for ordination. They may work as administrators, educators, missionaries, or in other specialist areas. (Read the whole thing on vocation in the Church of England here)

You can see where the point is being missed about what "vocation" is and what constitutes ministry when you read some general stats about the Church of England here. Under "ministers" you have the work of the clergy, oh and of course a mention of Church Army Officers and Lay Readers . . . under "community involvement" we find that 136,000 people work with children and young people, but, it doesn't appear to be ministry because this stuff is done outside of a worship service . . .

We need to get our act together and recognise ministry as just that, ministry. This is not an argument about the priesthood, and I see ordained ministry as distinctive in its own right - but the Church of England continues to be behind the curve . . . more youth and childrens workers are employed by us across local churches than by anyone else, of those studying for degrees in youth and community work with applied theolgy at the Centre for Youth Minstry, something like 40% are at CofE churches . . . . instead of taking the lead on recognising the incredible work that both salaried and volunterr youth and children's workers do, it has taken Youthwork The Partnership a year or so of thinking and planning to come up with the "We love our youth worker" Charter. It is great that someone has done it . . .

Why don't we value, and applaude youth and children's work at a national level in the Church of England? Got a view, let me know . . . .

Professional Status of youth work in the Church - does it matter?

The church, generally is aiming for a more professional workforce engaged with youth work in the local church - in order to better link in with the statutory sector, have greater credibility, improve the prospects of youth workers, there are many reasons! Whilst within this I see a lot of stuff about "youth work practice", "key skills", "holistic working", "core competencies" etc. One thing seems to be absent. Discipleship. Anything worthy of the name "discipleship" needs to be holistic, recognising that young people are unique individuals, whose nature and being includes their sense of a spiritual self and that we MUST seek to introduce Christ in a way that is accessible and open, not manipulative or pressured - but, introduce him WE MUST.

Christian youth ministry / work is not about belief systems per se, whatever the young person considers to be right for them is relativism, and they have every right to believe whatever they want - however, we need, in some way, to articulate our "faith" (if indeed in the Church we have a collective understanding of what it means to be a follower of Christ "in the same faith") not in a bunch of good principles or the "whats" in general of belief and who we are, but all of that should be rooted in our understanding of who Jesus is to us. We need to help young people answer the question from Jesus, "who do you say I am?" for themselves.

For me the starting point is not "youth work skills" that can then be topped up if need be by additional elements linked to discipleship, evangelism, worship etc. This is the flaw with trying to ape the world - we end up accepting a set of "core" competencies for our volunteers that do not include discipleship, the need for a relationship with God through accepting, receiving and believing in what Christ has done for us through his death and resurrection, and it apparently is not "core" to have an idea of the Kingdom of God . . . .

If we want young people to live well-rounded holistic lives, they will not BE whole, or achieve their full potential unless they know Christ. This is not fanatical evangelicalism - this is Christianity. We work with ALL, without prejudice, whether they come to Christ or not . . . . However, unless they are invited to find out about Christ, what are we doing?

What is fundamentally missing from "youth work skills" for their own sake, or to pursue some professional status, or to ape what NYA is doing, or to please the Government, or our paymasters - is the love of Christ, pour that on and you have incredible youth work.

None of this is to say that having a professional approach, seeking appropriate training etc is not vitally important, but . . .

We cannot serve "God and . . . . (insert whoever / whatever here)", IF we believed that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in us, and then we had the courage to live like that (and I point the finger at myself here) maybe we could see a reversal in the shrinking, ineffectual, playing at the periphery, arguing over the non essentials church - to the vibrant, living community that through being sold out for Christ transforms our communities so that nobody, not government, not agencies, not third sector pressure groups, would be asking us why we weren't "professional", but they would be asking - "what is it that makes what you do and who you are so different?"

Make the most of every opportunity

Oh, I can't be bothered . . . It won't make any difference . . . what is the point. Every found yourself saying those things? Maybe not out loud, but they sit there in your head? Well, Easter has just gone, the tomb is empty and I am reminded of these words, "If the Spirit of him who rasied Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who lives in you." Yes, the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is living in me . . . . what was I saying again? I can be bothered, It will make a difference, there is a point!

We live in tremulous times, and yet Christ is risen from the dead! The Church has a choice - to capitulate, or stand firm, in Him who can (and will) do more than we dare ask. It is a really good job, because generally, maybe we don't ask . . . .

I want to live in the light of the resurrection, whilst not forgetting the shadow of the cross. I want to take hold of that for which Christ has taken hold of me, as Paul would say . . . .

People talk about us not to us

Today's edition of "Society Guardian" is written and edited by young people. In the edition they interview Ed Balls, young people speak about their lives, get their hands dirty with the environment and talk of missing out as they have nowhere to go and nothing to do . . . talking of "nowhere to go", across the country there are an estimated 12,000 youth centres (how many of these are church based is anyone's guess, I doubt they are counted in these figures). A survey by the charity 4children revealed that in the most deprived areas of the country there are more than 14,000 childre per club. Here is a key thing for the church to reflect on - even when these clubs are open - young people claim they are open at the wrong times, diffiuclt to access, badly publicsed and under-resourced.

With a national wealth of buildings, and the resources of 1,000s of volunteers, can and should the church be bridging this gap in provision for young people?