Spare a thought for Claudio Ranieri - the recently sacked manager of Leicester City. Last season, a hero in a fairy tale that took his club to the Premiership title; this season presiding over a club threatened with relegation. If ever there was evidence that professional football is no longer a sport but a business, this is it. Leicester City FC plc is a failing business so a head must roll. No matter how successful you have been a mere matter of months ago.
Apart from that, there is an interesting observation to be made here about coaching and leadership. The same person, who can rescue an enterprise from obscurity and lead it to success, is not necessarily able to lead it to a sustainable future. A different skill set is required. The same might have been said of Winston Churchill, an heroic wartime leader, but rejected in time of peace. It is also true that many clergy would prefer to lead a small struggling church than take over a large, successful one from a previous incumbent.
This Sunday, we suspend our series from We Make the Road by Walking, and use the readings for the Sunday before Lent. As it happens, the Gospel is the same as the one we took 2 weeks ago including the story of the Transfiguration. A memorable moment in the life of St Peter, on whom we are focussing during Lent and right up to Easter. Tomorrow, rather than reflect on the Gospel reading, we reflect rather on Peter's own testimony in 2 Peter 1. Here, he describes that mountain top experience as a kind of preview of the glory which is to come when Jesus returns. He sees it as authenticating his own confession to the divinity of Christ. He sees it as a vindication of all that the Old Testament prophets taught.
So he encourages his readers to wait patiently, knowing that the Scriptures are trustworthy and that the Lord will indeed reappear and be manifested in glory, just as he remembered on the mountain. I guess that takes us back to Ranieri, and leading from success. Part of the challenge for leadership in any context is to hold a vision for what the future can look like; but if your best days are possibly behind you, what is there to look forward to?
This is why we need to see everything we do in the context of eternity. The best is always yet to be, however 'glorious' our days on earth may have been!
Saturday 25 February 2017
Saturday 18 February 2017
Making it Real
Did I forget to do a blog last week?! Only just realised.
Last week I had been away again, this time on a residential training conference for Mission Community leaders. Mission Communities (MCs) being the county-wide strategy here for developing networks of churches, the better to reach every man, woman child with the good news of Jesus Christ. It was a very useful week, in lots of ways. There was a significant degree of hope in the room, notwithstanding that none of us really knows what a MC will look like! There is no blueprint: it's up to each group to work it out for themselves. One key feature common to all, however, will be the necessity of far greater and deeper collaboration between ordained and lay people to 'be' church where they are. These old divisions must dissolve, in favour of a full-blown New Testament view of diverse ministries of many kinds.
After two weeks of several nights away, it's been good to be home-based again. However, there was still an 'away-day', also with MCs in mind. This time it was our own MC: we have a steering group of a dozen people charged with working out what our network of 14 churches, in town and country, will look like. We did an exercise together, 'building' a MC out of various blocks. What would be the components of our MC? Examples were: a variety of ministries, creative new acts of worship, engaged and engaging youth church, and a dedicated social life!
In the course of our discussion, we found ourselves again asking 'what do we mean by mission?' I don't know how many times I have been in a group trying to agree a suitable definition! Rather than spend the rest of the day trying to do so again, I found myself impromptu coming up with a simple one: God beyond the walls. Would that serve as a suitable container within which to put the concept? 'Walls' of course refers to the physical building of church (how often does 'mission' become 'getting people in' rather than getting Christians out?!); but the word also refers to the psychological, spiritual and social walls we tend to put up, differentiating ourselves from others 'not like us.' Jesus spent so much of his time, his mission, reaching out to 'others.' And we need to go wherever the Spirit of God takes us to share his love, grace and mercy.
Tomorrow's reading from Mark 2 shows just what Jesus was like: forgiving people their sins, preaching to crowds of people whom the Pharisees regarded as 'riff-raff' (the Message translation), eating with tax collectors and 'sinners', calling such people to discipleship. His mission was beyond the walls both of synagogue and social/religious convention.
McLaren concludes, With Jesus, faith is where it all begins. When you believe, you make it real.
Last week I had been away again, this time on a residential training conference for Mission Community leaders. Mission Communities (MCs) being the county-wide strategy here for developing networks of churches, the better to reach every man, woman child with the good news of Jesus Christ. It was a very useful week, in lots of ways. There was a significant degree of hope in the room, notwithstanding that none of us really knows what a MC will look like! There is no blueprint: it's up to each group to work it out for themselves. One key feature common to all, however, will be the necessity of far greater and deeper collaboration between ordained and lay people to 'be' church where they are. These old divisions must dissolve, in favour of a full-blown New Testament view of diverse ministries of many kinds.
After two weeks of several nights away, it's been good to be home-based again. However, there was still an 'away-day', also with MCs in mind. This time it was our own MC: we have a steering group of a dozen people charged with working out what our network of 14 churches, in town and country, will look like. We did an exercise together, 'building' a MC out of various blocks. What would be the components of our MC? Examples were: a variety of ministries, creative new acts of worship, engaged and engaging youth church, and a dedicated social life!
In the course of our discussion, we found ourselves again asking 'what do we mean by mission?' I don't know how many times I have been in a group trying to agree a suitable definition! Rather than spend the rest of the day trying to do so again, I found myself impromptu coming up with a simple one: God beyond the walls. Would that serve as a suitable container within which to put the concept? 'Walls' of course refers to the physical building of church (how often does 'mission' become 'getting people in' rather than getting Christians out?!); but the word also refers to the psychological, spiritual and social walls we tend to put up, differentiating ourselves from others 'not like us.' Jesus spent so much of his time, his mission, reaching out to 'others.' And we need to go wherever the Spirit of God takes us to share his love, grace and mercy.
Tomorrow's reading from Mark 2 shows just what Jesus was like: forgiving people their sins, preaching to crowds of people whom the Pharisees regarded as 'riff-raff' (the Message translation), eating with tax collectors and 'sinners', calling such people to discipleship. His mission was beyond the walls both of synagogue and social/religious convention.
McLaren concludes, With Jesus, faith is where it all begins. When you believe, you make it real.
Friday 3 February 2017
Jesus and the Multitudes
I've been away on retreat for most of the past week, gathering with friends from the Aidan & Hilda Community. We meet annually at Shallowford House, the retreat house of Lichfield Diocese, near Stafford. Quite a long drive, but worth it - even with the West Coast mainline not 100 metres from the building!
This year, we have been reflecting on the Desert Fathers and Mothers, and the life of Martin of Tours a century or so later. It has been challenging and refreshing. One of the sayings from the desert was 'Go to your cell, and your cell will teach you everything'. That, of course, is not a prison cell but the quiet place or room - just as Jesus taught his disciples to pray (Matthew 6.6). Consequently, we were encouraged to spend some of the time alone in our rooms, just waiting on God. It's a bit scary in some ways - you don't know what to expect - and of course you are left alone with your own thoughts. Personally, it has been a disturbing yet revealing time, and a time to be reassured once more of the Father's blessing, even with all my imperfections.
More wisdom from the desert: Do not desire to be listened to and you will have peace. Hmm!
This week, our theme is Jesus and the Multitudes. One of the characteristics of his life on earth was his gracious dealing with crowds of people (like sheep without a shepherd), many of whom (lepers, prostitutes, demon-possessed, tax collectors) would have been regarded as unclean and beyond the pale for many in his day. Conversely, Jesus had harsh words for those who set themselves apart as morally righteous or superior, never associating with the likes of those others. Part of the adventure of faith is to face the challenge of who we are: morally superior, righteous, or - recognising our own failings - being ready to meet with grace any who feel themselves unworthy, excluded or beyond the pale.
In these days when we are only too conscious of divisions in society, it is particularly important to know where we stand.
This year, we have been reflecting on the Desert Fathers and Mothers, and the life of Martin of Tours a century or so later. It has been challenging and refreshing. One of the sayings from the desert was 'Go to your cell, and your cell will teach you everything'. That, of course, is not a prison cell but the quiet place or room - just as Jesus taught his disciples to pray (Matthew 6.6). Consequently, we were encouraged to spend some of the time alone in our rooms, just waiting on God. It's a bit scary in some ways - you don't know what to expect - and of course you are left alone with your own thoughts. Personally, it has been a disturbing yet revealing time, and a time to be reassured once more of the Father's blessing, even with all my imperfections.
More wisdom from the desert: Do not desire to be listened to and you will have peace. Hmm!
This week, our theme is Jesus and the Multitudes. One of the characteristics of his life on earth was his gracious dealing with crowds of people (like sheep without a shepherd), many of whom (lepers, prostitutes, demon-possessed, tax collectors) would have been regarded as unclean and beyond the pale for many in his day. Conversely, Jesus had harsh words for those who set themselves apart as morally righteous or superior, never associating with the likes of those others. Part of the adventure of faith is to face the challenge of who we are: morally superior, righteous, or - recognising our own failings - being ready to meet with grace any who feel themselves unworthy, excluded or beyond the pale.
In these days when we are only too conscious of divisions in society, it is particularly important to know where we stand.
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