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13/06/2017
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Anna Drew, Director of Communications with the Canterbury Diocese.
Last on
Tue 13 Jun 2017
05:43
大象传媒 Radio 4
Script
Good morning.聽
The Queen once said that she considered it her duty to walk at the pace of the slowest man. I don鈥檛 think she meant that England should give up its role as a world leader, rather that as a nation we should embrace a mindset of solidarity, that we should pledge to leave no man behind.
This is a laudable principle, but have you ever tried to walk down the street with a dawdling toddler when you鈥檙e running late? You nag, bribe, coax, cajole and sometimes just plain drag them with you in order to get there on time. It鈥檚 frustrating, your agenda is threatened by someone else鈥檚 slowness 鈥� and everyone鈥檚 in a bad mood when you eventually arrive.聽The early church鈥檚 freedom to do whatever they liked, free from Jewish law, created the potential for the weaker among them to stumble into sin - in the same way that urging a child to match an adult鈥檚 pace might literally cause the child to stumble. As far as St Paul was concerned, the Christian community needed to move at the pace of its slowest member - to be mindful of one another's vulnerabilities. In this way, none are held back, fellowship is retained and the strong learn to live in moderation.
Going at the speed of the slowest person obviously changes the pace of travel, but it also changes the nature of the journey as we notice more of what鈥檚 going on around us. It may even change our destination as we hand over control of the journey to our companions, allowing the excursion to be shaped by everyone.聽
God of fast and slow, the day trip and the long haul, guide us on our journeys. Make us mindful of our companions and willing to fall in step with them. Amen
The Queen once said that she considered it her duty to walk at the pace of the slowest man. I don鈥檛 think she meant that England should give up its role as a world leader, rather that as a nation we should embrace a mindset of solidarity, that we should pledge to leave no man behind.
This is a laudable principle, but have you ever tried to walk down the street with a dawdling toddler when you鈥檙e running late? You nag, bribe, coax, cajole and sometimes just plain drag them with you in order to get there on time. It鈥檚 frustrating, your agenda is threatened by someone else鈥檚 slowness 鈥� and everyone鈥檚 in a bad mood when you eventually arrive.聽The early church鈥檚 freedom to do whatever they liked, free from Jewish law, created the potential for the weaker among them to stumble into sin - in the same way that urging a child to match an adult鈥檚 pace might literally cause the child to stumble. As far as St Paul was concerned, the Christian community needed to move at the pace of its slowest member - to be mindful of one another's vulnerabilities. In this way, none are held back, fellowship is retained and the strong learn to live in moderation.
Going at the speed of the slowest person obviously changes the pace of travel, but it also changes the nature of the journey as we notice more of what鈥檚 going on around us. It may even change our destination as we hand over control of the journey to our companions, allowing the excursion to be shaped by everyone.聽
God of fast and slow, the day trip and the long haul, guide us on our journeys. Make us mindful of our companions and willing to fall in step with them. Amen
Broadcast
- Tue 13 Jun 2017 05:43大象传媒 Radio 4
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