Life changing

Dear Friends,

This week I have been the chaplain at the pre-ordination retreat for those ordained on Saturday to the order of Deacon. At the heart of the service of a deacon is the ideal of following the example Jesus gave us when he washed the feet of his disciples, telling.

“If I your Lord and master have washed your feet, then you must wash one another’s feet”, he tells them. In this action he upends the usual structure of things showing the greatest power of God is exercised in compassion and in showing others the full dignity that is theirs as children of God.

This week there have been seismic world events taking place The tragic of war and destruction across the Middle East plays out what human beings are more familiar with – the exercise of power by force. As the chaplain at a largely silent retreat enabling others to focus fully on God’s call to them, at times I felt the odd juxta position of trying to facilitate a deep place of calm, while in my own prayers holding such devastation in intercession before God.

The retreat conductor led a series of reflections on how the Bible so often shows that God calls to unlikely people to take on the powers that be in unlikely ways. Abraham finds a new land for God by raising altar after altar along his journey – worship leads him onward. Moses takes

on the might of Pharoah, Esther frees her people by taking a great risk to step unbidden into the presence of the King and Mary accepts the call of God into unexpected pregnancy and continually sharing in Jesus’ choices to resist opposition only with love. God working in the lives of those who listen and heed God’s call.

Maybe there is something very powerful about the juxtaposition of retreats for those taking up a life of compassionate service which will be taking place across the country during this ordination season and the fact that there is so much uncertainty and distress on the world stage. Something very powerful about hidden pockets of assurance that God continues to call unlikely people to continue to challenge injustice with God’s greater power of compassion and with the knowledge that all should be afforded their true dignity as God’s children.

Maybe, then, it is absolutely appropriate to hold together prayers for peace with prayers for all who are ordained this weekend. And while we pray, perhaps we can listen out for how God is asking us, unlikely people though we may be, to be agents of God’s compassion and peace too, in all we do and say.

God bless

Samantha