Jesus the Teacher

I'm reading an extraordinary book at the moment: Fear, by the explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes. Really, that man has no right to be alive, given the stories he tells of his life! Even at school (Eton) he was an adventurer and risk-taker, and so he has continued. Makes me realise how sheltered my life has been. Interestingly, even after so many hair-raising adventures he remains afraid of heights and...of spiders! The book explores the psychology of fear, and how to overcome it. It recounts many adventures of his own, but also stories of other people in history or on the contemporary scene who have known fear and triumphed.

One of the stories he tells is of one Fredrick Stanley Arnot, known as 'the little (David) Livingstone'. In the late 19th and early 20th century he was one of that band of intrepid missionaries who went to the African interior, both to explore and to evangelise. His fellow Scot, Livingstone, had been a neighbour and hero of his, and he determined to follow his example. He gained the Gold Medal of  the Royal Geographical Society for his discovery of the true source of the Zambezi River - some miles from where Livingstone believed it to be.

You can read the facts at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Stanley_Arnot, but this doesn't really do justice to the nature of his encounters with African tribesmen. In order to gain the trust of tribal kings, he had to witness the most terrible acts of savagery and brutality, no doubt fearing for his own life. Yet he went on to lead a band of missionaries who established churches, schools and clinics in what we now know as Congo, Angola and Zambia.

We talk a lot about mission these days, but when you read stories of men such as Arnot, you realise the true cost.

Tomorrow, our four churches come together at Christ Church.  The theme is 'Jesus the Teacher', and we look at the parable of the Sower. In so doing, we reflect on the Kingdom of God and what we discover about it from this and other parables. At the service, we will take the opportunity to encourage everyone to take their part in the mission of God. We may not be called to the same acts of heroism as men like Arnot, but it is the same mission. And there is a cost. In particular, with annual meetings on the horizon, we need to remind everyone that governance is a vital part of mission if anything is going to last. The Sower would have had to purchase or otherwise obtain his seed before he could scatter it! The local church needs to manage well its resources for the work of the Kingdom.