more by Helen Parry

by Helen Parry (Word for the Week 30-06-08)

You are a chosen people.., that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9.

A chosen people, God calls us, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God. We, 2000 years on, inherit this legacy, bestowed on the people of Israel as they travelled to the promised land (Exodus 19:5-6).

Living in a secular society, in which nothing higher is offered or promised than material prosperity or transient celebrity, we can bask in the glory of our position in Christ – in our election, in our access to God through him, in our calling to be holy before the Lord, and in the enduring fact of God’s love. But is basking actually what we are called to do?  The purpose of all this, Peter says, is that we ‘may declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his marvellous light’.  Because, of course, God chose Israel, so that they might be a light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 41:8-9; 42:6).  Jesus came because God so loved the world. He chose his disciples so that they would go and bear fruit (John 15:16).

In a generation that sets such store by personal fulfilment, and feeling good about oneself, Christians need to be reminded of this inescapable biblical fact: we are saved in order to serve, in order to declare the Lord’s praises.

But Peter makes it clear that what we have to declare is not a series of theological propositions.  It is a personal testimony of what the Lord has done for us. It starts with darkness – the darkness of ignorance and lostness, of separation from the one who is the light. Then comes the sovereign call, which we each recognise as personal to ourselves. And as we respond to that call we move from darkness into his marvellous light – a light to transform our understanding, to guide our steps in the present and into the future. If we have really grasped this, we must surely desire to share it.

Can we not, in a society in which people so freely recommend their personal trainers and their herbalists, find ways of commending the one who meets all our deepest needs – our Lord Jesus Christ?

 by Helen Parry (Word for the Week 19-05-2008)

Barnabas wanted to take…Mark with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.  Acts 15:37-38

Two men set up a business together. They start small, but they have identified a niche in the market, and make good use of the resources they have. They do well. They like and respect one another, and have complementary gifts.

After some time, one suggests taking on a junior partner: he has a particular young man in mind. The other objects – there’s a question mark hanging over the young man’s character. Either his commitment or his stickabilty is suspect. Both are essential qualities in their rather risky endeavour.

This story is, of course, about Paul and Barnabas. Sadly, ‘they had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company’. Each had a point. Paul wanted to be sure that they could rely on their fellow-workers; Barnabas – ever the encourager – wanted to give Mark a second chance. Always a lateral thinker, he probably thought not only that Mark showed promise but also that if the work was going to grow they would need help.

When a small team is working well together, the comfortable thing to do is not to rock the boat – not to enlarge the team by bringing in people of different personalities, different levels of ability. But that is how enterprises stagnate. The visionary founder becomes the obstacle to creative growth.

It would be unjust to apply this to Paul, but it is all too common in our own enterprises. In the case of Paul and Barnabas, regrettable though the discord was, God overruled it. The result was two evangelistic teams rather than one, Barnabas taking Mark to start a new work in Cyprus, and Paul teaming up with Silas.

This story is about training and apprenticeship. It applies both to the workplace and to the church. In the church, it is the essence of disciple-making. Can we seek to reintroduce the idea of apprenticeship, so that young Christians and potential leaders are not only mentored but allowed to learn on the job alongside those with greater knowledge and experience? And am I prepared to take on this responsibility?