A few weeks ago we sang a song I hadn't sung in a long, long time.
It's called 'Moses I know you're the man.' If you know it, you'll know it is
kind of a kids song, part of the 'And we'll have a song for the kids before
they leave us' selection. But a few bits of it really jumped out at me on, so I
thought I'd share my thoughts. /before that, I must say that this song makes me
giggle because the chorus is:
'So every day
we’re on our way,
for we’re a travelling, wandering race
called the people of God.'
but I keep
accidentally singing 'We're a travelling Womble-ling race', and have images of
Christians wandering around Wimbledon Common picking up litter with Uncle
Bulgaria.
Anyway... the
second verse goes:
‘Don’t get too set in
your ways’,
the Lord said
‘Each step is only a
phase ‘
the Lord said.
‘I’ll go before you and
I shall be a sign
to guide my travelling
wandering race .
You’re the people of God
‘
When I sang this I immediately thought of our church institutions, and
how static and wrapped up in traditions they can be. In all levels of the Church
we (half jokingly) make references to how things have to be done a certain way,
"Because that is how it always has been done." An example of this is
the chairs at my church (yes, I said chairs, we've not had pews for a long as I
can remember). Until fairly recently, an elderly gentleman used to go in with
his piece of string, tie it to various strategically placed hooks on the wall
and check that all the rows were at the right angle and had the right number of
chairs in. If they weren't right, the last group who moved them were in
trouble.
That is a silly example, but it highlights how we can be sometimes. We
hold onto things because they are what we know, they are comfortable. But is
that healthy? Probably not.
Things need to change at times. Times change, people change, situations change.
If the Church doesn't keep up, then it is in trouble. Change can be scary, a
leap into the unknown. But if it is done carefully, and it is what lead by God,
then something good will come from it.
I remember the first proper Methodist Youth Assembly in its current form,
Durham '09. There was a group of us, the 'old school' (I was 20 at the time...)
who spent a lot of the time complaining that it was nowhere as good as the old
Youth Conference style, that the One Programme could never compete with the
Exec, and that all these changes had ruined something I had put a lot of effort
into. But looking back now, having seen MYA/3Generate mature a bit, I'll admit
I was wrong. There were issues at Durham, but that was to be expected with a
whole new format. Kidderminster 2011 was amazing, and I'm glad it changed.
3Generate, the One Programme and the Youth Participation Strategy have been
amazing in improving youth participation in the Methodist Church, and God is
working in amazing ways through it.
I could easily have taken that verse in a more personal direction, as
there is all will be a lot of change in my life at the moment, as a graduate
who is still looking for a 'proper' job and also in a long distance
relationship, but I'll keep that one for another day.
The other verse that grabbed my attention was:
’Look
at the birds in the air ‘
the Lord said
‘They fly unhampered by
care’
the Lord said
‘You will move easier if
you’re travelling light
for you’re a
wandering vagabond race.
You’re the people of God
‘.
As I mentioned in previous blogs, I like hiking, and have recently
been looking and reading about how to reduce the amount of kit you carry when
hiking. Travelling light makes it easier to walk long distances, but also makes
you more reliant on things around you. Rather than carrying all the water you
need, why not just take some purification tablets and rely on a stream. Why
carry a bulky stove when you could collect wood and build a fire with only a
match and some cotton wool?
And our lives can be like that, we can carry everything on our
shoulders, and be weighted down by it, not really getting far because our load
is making us slow and cumbersome, and unhappy. Or we can rely on other people,
and especially on God, to reduce the load we bear ourselves. I know that when I
have a problem, just talking about it with a close friend makes me feel better,
they lift the weight off my shoulders, making me lighter, happier, and in a
better position to face the world.
Just remember, nothing need be scary or heavy if you entrust it to
God.
