Musings in the snow

OK so it's been a few months and I thought I should try and start making this into a regular kind of habit...takes some discipline though. Went to a talk at college last night which was quite thought provoking, from the International Director of the British Red Cross, Matthias Schamle. He was talking about the challenges of remaining relevant and credible to the situations they face today, and amongst what he said a couple of things stuck out as interesting with thoughtful parallels. Firstly, the importance of local actors in the places where aid is needed...they are the first people involved and the ones still left there acting when all the media interest has disappeared.
Secondly he talked about the importance of good leadership.
And lastly about needing first and foremost passion to be involved in this work, but also that you need to bring skills to the situation (and experience) - and how you need experience where you are before you can go elsewhere and work...what makes you think if you suddenly turn up somewhere else everything will be totally different? After all, wherever you go, you are the same person, and carry the difficulties you face with you.

It made me think of the key role of church. Bill Hybels has said, totally underpinned by what Jesus thought (and thinks) about his church, that "the local church is the hope for the world" - that large companies, and policies, and agendas, and plans and projects, can only go so far. It was interesting so see this kind of view echoed in a talk from a different field (philosophically speaking). What was stressed last night was the importance of local communities acting, of reaching individual people and meeting their needs, making a real difference in their lives. This is the very mandate of the church today, this is what we seek to do, or rather, who we seek to be; being called not just to preach good news but to live it out - there is a vast chasm between preaching something and walking the walk, and it is only the practical living out of this life that has effect. This also was brought up in the Red Cross talk - the importance of being practical and real; in terms of living out our worldview we might call this practical theology; underlined by the apostle James - "Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works" - real faith ultimately has a firmly practical effect.

When I think about what the work of agencies like the Red Cross, I'm profoundly humbled and amazed at what people can do when they have a goal, a vision, and work together for it. When I think about what is accomplished in the lives of individuals and communities the world over through the local church, people caught up together with God's vision for people, his sacrificial love, his desire to see all people living life in all its fullness, which is ultimately living a life for him, secure in image and identity as a result of his love and living daily filled with his Spirit, I'm far more amazed...and excited at what more is to come as those who know the grace of God and the power of His Spirit to transform lives learn more what this means, and push on in receiving that power and love and pouring this out to those in need around; which includes the poor and the needy, but includes everyone who is living this life not knowing that, as Augustine said, "you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless til they find their rest in thee."