A few years ago James Mercer and I were engaged on the same day in rather different activities. I had to sing a solo in public, a very small part in “Joseph” at St James’, and he had to abseil down St Peter’s tower. We agreed afterwards we would each have rather done the other task!
This has come back to mind because – see elsewhere on this sheet – I will be abseiling later this month, and having theorised about it, I am now faced with a reality check! Can I convert my assertions into action? And two things immediately link in my mind with matters about my Christian discipleship. Firstly, can I trust myself into other people’s plans, preparation and expertise? And secondly, do my actions fit with my words?
We all know that having been called by God into His family, we are immediately interconnected with others – the church. And part of the growing into maturity that is in our Ephesians series (see Eph 4:12,13) is about relating and trusting. In some small way we get a taste of this each Sunday service – we place ourselves into the hands of the service leaders, the musicians, the preacher. I will be placing myself in the expert hands of the staff of “Taste for Adventure” – I’ll be fine! Learning to trust is part of our growth in faith.
And we also know how easy it is to talk about our spiritual life, our prayers, our Bible study, our lives of service. But we also know that a close examination of our actions will not necessarily confirm what we have proclaimed to be the case! Watch me on June 12th to see how I manage the height of the tower, by all means. But please also be prepared to examine yourself to see if you words and your actions are consistent! And if you need resources to reflect with, re-read James’ (the Bible one, not James Mercer!) epistle.