A Pause In Lent No 2 - Generosity

Categories: god-related-stuff, a-pause-in-lent

Tags: God 'n' stuff

Date: 04 March 2012 10:30:27

So, here we have a rather frustrated Dormouse (see earlier post) trying to remember what it was she said, because, actually she was quite pleased with it........and -BREATHE!

This week, I have been (on and off) thinking about the first chapter of "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23" which I've chosen as my Lent reading. I'm not sure I'm keen on the author's style - although it is a little harsh to make such a judgement after just one chapter!

In the first chapter Keller looks at the theme "The Lord is my Shepherd" - he talks about how the demeanour of the flock can demonstrate what kind of shepherd it is who owns those sheep. A well loved flock are fat, and content, and not cowed by their surroundings; a flock with a shepherd who does not care are thin, down beaten and afraid. I'm not too sure that I am very good at showing what kind of Shepherd I am owned by - perhaps I am like a sheep who has been bought from a harsher shepherd, and I haven't quite learned that my new Master is different. If I can learn to have more confidence in him, then I would lose my fear of what He might ask me to do.

Another thing that Keller mentioned was how it is customary for shepherds to mark their sheep in some way, often by clipping their ear. This shows who is the Owner of the sheep, who has purchased the sheep. I have been purchased with the blood of Christ - he paid a great price for me - and so I've decided that I will wear something that declares who is my Shepherd. I will wear a cross around my neck. Now I realise that this isn't very radical, and many people won't even notice it, because for them it is simply a piece of jewellery. But, at the moment, it's not for them; it's for me. It is to remind ME  who my Shepherd is, it's to remind ME of the price that he paid so that I  might be part of his flock.

I am lucky enough to own many crosses, all with a different meaning for me, all special for different reasons. So I thought I'd share with you some of these.

I don't wear this cross very often, as it's quite large - 4 cm  - but it is special, because I bought it on the day I was licensed, in ChristChurch Cathedral, Oxford, as a Licensed Lay Minister in the diocese. This was in October 1996, and the cross was a birthday/Licensing gift from Mr D. I used to wear it when I robed to preach - rather like a Bishop's pectoral cross! - but now, when I preach at church, I certainly don't robe. And my License in the UK has expired...but it reminds me of a very important day and a special ministry that I had for 9 years in Milton Keynes.

And now we come to the second of Floss's Cardinal Virtues - well, not hers, you understand (!) but the list that we are using as inspiration for posts throughout Lent. And today's theme is "Generosity - the Pursuit of Charity". Actually, I don't really know quite what to write, but while I was "researching" (that is, trawling the Internet to get a good idea!) I came across a variety of quotations, which actually, I think, are thought provoking enough by themselves... (all the quotations are either from Wikipedia or from the website of The Science of Generosity )



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And there we are, back to the beginning: my demeanour should reflect that of my Shepherd.