{"id":789,"date":"2020-05-07T17:17:14","date_gmt":"2020-05-07T16:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniofglos.blog\/chaplaincy\/?p=789"},"modified":"2020-05-07T17:17:14","modified_gmt":"2020-05-07T16:17:14","slug":"taking-risks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.glos.ac.uk\/chaplaincy\/2020\/05\/07\/taking-risks\/","title":{"rendered":"Taking risks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here\u2019s the reading and reflection from today\u2019s communion service. The link to the video of the interview with Tom Herbert is here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n


Then those who welcomed Peter\u2019s message were baptised, and on that day alone about three thousand souls were added to the number of disciples. They continued steadily learning the teaching of the apostles, and joined in their fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone felt a deep sense of awe, while many miracles and signs took place through the apostles. All the believers shared everything in common; they sold their possessions and goods and divided the proceeds among the fellowship according to individual need. Day after day they met by common consent in the Temple; they broke bread together in their homes, sharing meals with simple joy. They praised God continually and all the people respected them. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were finding salvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Are you a risk taker? Do you relish the thrill of stepping out of your comfort zone, and trying something new, even though it might end in failure? Or are you more risk averse – preferring the familiar places and ways of living that you know, and a little unnerved by too much that is new or challenging?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s an interesting question for our times, but before we\ncome onto that, let\u2019s look for a moment at our reading. During these weeks\nafter Easter many churches read both the stories about Jesus appearing to the\ndisciples and also stories of the beginning of the church from the book of Acts.\nIt\u2019s an interesting contrast. On one side we have the disciples still hiding\naway behind locked doors, or going back to what they know – fishing – being\npretty risk averse. They are understandably reluctant to attract too much\nattention from the Jewish leaders or the Romans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But then in the book of Acts – Luke\u2019s sequel to his gospel –  we hear the amazing story of how this small,\nill prepared, frightened group completely change their behaviour. Instead of\nhiding behind locked doors they stand before large crowds, making speeches.\nInstead of keeping away from dangerous places they meet in the Temple, and do\nall sorts of signs and miracles out in public. And the new community which they\nform is not risk averse either – they take the risky step of pooling their\npossessions so that they can help out those in need. It\u2019s worth reading through\nthe whole of the book of Acts to see the full story of this transformation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of us may be longing for that sort of transformation –\nfor doors of our homes to be flung open. But for the moment we are encouraged\nto be risk adverse. To stay at home, to stay safe. To avoid other people in our\ndodgem swerves when we go out for our walks. To treat everything that comes\nthrough our letter box as a potential threat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of us may have absorbed that distrust of the outside\nworld. But this has also been a time when some have heroically embraced risk. Carers,\nnurses, doctors, and other front line workers have shown great courage in\nputting themselves in harm\u2019s way for the sake of others. And stepping out of\nour comfort zones and finding new ways to do things has been forced upon others\nof us – university staff and other teachers learning to deliver things online –\nchurches being jolted into new ways of connecting with people – many of us\nlearning new IT skills just so that we can keep in contact with friends… We may\nhave been stuck at home, but this has also been a time of significant\nexploration for many people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And perhaps some of that exploration has been more than\ntechnological. Maybe we have reached out to someone – someone from our past, someone\nwho was previously just an acquaintance – someone down our street. It\u2019s not\nalways comfortable – it feels a bit scary – but it also feels like a gift which\nenriches us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week, after the clapping for carers, we\u2019re going to try\nsomething new. We\u2019ve seen videos of streets sharing a song together so we\u2019re\ngoing to have a go. We\u2019ve posted the words of \u2018Lean on me\u2019 through the\nletterboxes of our section of the road, and I\u2019m going to take out my guitar. it\ncould all go horribly wrong, but it seems like a possible way to build our\nsense of community and strengthen our relationships – we\u2019ve already had a\ncouple of positive texts back…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a very small example of trying to listen for the\ninvitation of God. Others have responded in much riskier ways. There\u2019s a great\ninterview with Tom Herbert done by our local vicar, link above. Tom is one of\nthe Fabulous Baker Brothers – with a career in baking which took him onto TV\nand around the world, but in the interview he describes how he felt called by\nGod to leave all this. he struggled to get hold of what it was God wanted him\nto do, and had some very low times. But eventually he began working with many\nothers on an amazing project called the Long Table, bringing together\ncommunities, including those most in need, around great food. Now, backed by\nthe Diocese and others his team are leading Feeding the 5000, providing cooked meals\nall across Gloucestershire – 17,000 so far – \u00a324 for 7 meals if you can afford\nit or otherwise pay as you feel, and given free to those most in need. Amazing!\nA lovely example of stepping out in faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I wonder, are there any ways – bigger or smaller – that\nyou are sensing God call you to step out in faith, in the middle of this\ncurrent situation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s been quite a lot of talk about about difficult we may\nfind to go out again after all the messages about staying at home and staying\nsafe. We may need courage and support from each other to take those steps. I\u2019m\ntrying to remember that when we step out in response to an invitation from God,\nwe are not leaving safety, because God goes with us. He is our safe place – because\nin him we know that we are fully and unconditionally loved, whatever happens. That\nwas the secret of the transformation of those first disciples. They knew that\nas they stepped out in faith, their Lord was alongside them, and within them,\nand there was no safer place to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lord, as we remember the transformation of your disciples,\nfrom fearfully hiding to courageous action, we ask for your help.                 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We think of those who have become very fearful at the moment,\nespecially any we know… <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lord, help them find the confidence and the support to step\nout of the prison of their fear, so that they can live their lives fully again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we look ahead to the anniversary of VE Day tomorrow, we\nthink of those who are courageously facing danger for the sake of others in our\ntime, or giving themselves to new and risky ventures…  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We thank you for them Lord – for their love and their\ndedication – and we pray for your blessing on them and on their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And we pray for ourselves, Lord. Help us to become aware of\nthe ways in which you are inviting us to step out in faith at the moment. Give\nus the courage not to close off to that invitation, but to listen to it, to open\nup to it, and  to begin to take small\nsteps in response, trusting in the safe place that we are in as we walk with\nyou.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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