The Volunteer

simplicity // 27
the Volunteer

“What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving.” Matthew 6.30 (Message Version)

Even though our culture often tells us that we are nothing but the clothes we buy, the cars we drive, or the roles we play, the Bible sees it differently, because God sees us differently.

The writer of Psalm 139 knew it, and wasn’t afraid to say so, either. “I praise you, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made,” he said. “Your works are wonderful. I know that full well.” And we are all “works” of God.

Ultimately, of course, we will have to lay down every accoutrement anyway; every lifestyle accessory, every prop we’ve picked up along the way - the “things that we have carried here” (to quote the brilliant Martyn Joseph song) - will one day disappear, to leave us with nothing but... the person we were created to be. *Gulp*. “We can be free,” he sings.

Sadly, however, through fear or insecurity, we tend not to embrace the promise of such freedom on this side of eternity. Lent helps us to experience something of the lightness that comes from being less “preoccupied with getting”; but the challenge remains, to respond “to God’s giving” fully (as we read in the verse from Matthew’s gospel, above). How do we do that?

“Freedom needs a volunteer,” sings Martyn Joseph. Perhaps, this Lent, we might simply choose to stand up and be counted; to resolve to travel more lightly, yes – but also to live as if we believe that God has made us fearfully and wonderfully. “Beautiful,” as the singer concludes, so movingly. “We can be beautiful.”

Any volunteers?


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action point:

Try to give something away, today. Experience a little more lightness. And as you do, ask yourself how you can respond more fully to “God’s giving”.

Martyn Joseph’s ‘The Things That We Have Carried Here’ is from his album Vegas.

You can watch a live version of the song by clicking here.:

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rsvp:

“Thank for the the picture of a young child running home from school at an age when life was so simple. I was fortunate as a child to go home each day to a place of love and care, and now as an adult I can use that same picture of me running (maybe walking now) to my heavenly home where I am also loved. And His love is enough to sustain me on that walk, even when the earthly ‘love’ I often look for or want to feel isn't there.” Chris

“Sitting on the DLR yesterday morning, asking God who He is and who am I. In the background all I could hear was the taped voice of a woman saying, ‘Please remember to take all your belongings with you.’ NO! I wanted to shout. That’s the opposite of what we need to do. Leave it behind and press on towards the goal! God’s grace was sufficient and I said nothing but quietly kept asking God who He is and who am I, dutifully taking my briefcase with me as I left the train.” Daphne

“I finally had a chance to return to today’s theme on my journey home when I repeated the prayer and this is what my daily commute prompted me with...

O God, who are you?
God of justice
Who calls created order into being
Connections, relational
More than global
Of the wealthy and powerful
of the poor, disadvantaged
Of creation

Who am I? a child of God called to reflect Him.” Kate

“‘Who am I Lord?’ – am trying to give up ‘busy-ness’ for lent and taking on seeking and waiting on God. Living and working in an intense boarding school in Kenya with four young children of my own, I’m constantly juggling and fighting a feeling of being busy – but I’m convinced it’s just that – a mentality rather than having to be a reality. In the question ‘Who I am?’ however, I feel it is deeply caught up in relationships. So I will try to resolve (again!) to show more of those little signs of love to the people around me, to look into people’s eyes, to smile from my heart, to give them myself as we converse. I am particularly rubbish at ‘hellos’ and ‘goodbyes’ – perhaps not wanting to express emotion to people – why? Perhaps I think they won’t want to see my emotion, perhaps I myself am embarrassed by it, perhaps it’s that tiny moment of vulnerability as it’s a moment when you could feel a bit rejected by people. So I’m going to pray ‘Lord help me to be more loving in my ‘hellos’ and ‘goodbyes’. Not just in a superficial polite way, but showing people something of my heart, of Your heart.” Monica

“I attended a funeral of a good friend yesterday who got a brain tumour 15 months ago just after retiring. It refocused his life to the simple things - such as making sure that the bird feeders were adjusted in the back garden so that the small birds could have feed as well as the big birds! He learned to respond in different ways to the signs of God around and within him. He selected his memorial readings not to reflect the world he was going to but to recognise that we carry enough challenges for today and not to waste energy worrying about tomorrow. The certainty of his impending death changed his priorities to give full focus to today - he really did live Cohen's song. Forget your perfect offering, and let the light in through the cracks.” Ciaran


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May you see that you are beautiful, today.
Go well!

Brian