Just doing some preparation for our Young Disciples group (which also has taken upon itself to ‘become’ our new Youth band!!).

Was thinking about being a disciple of Jesus and following Him, but perhaps in a sense a better image, at least for our self determining age is being a member of a body of Christ. Why? Well imagine yourself as a knee, or an eye, or a mouth, or a foot – what say do you have in where you go and what you do??

Reminded me also of that thorny doctrine of election – that the root story of election is of course the rescuing of Israel from Egypt. This is the foundational metaphor for ‘becoming a Christian’ – in other words being rescued from a life that is no life, to be given a Life and a Purpose, which are not your own.

The Israelites may well have been crying out for something to happen, a rather like a baby at the point of delivery – but to be expelled into the wilderness and there discover that they have been rescued by this strange God who now calls them to a new way of life which will reveal His life in the world . . .

Becoming like a child

Being Born again

Having to learn a Life which is Not yours, from scratch . . .

Seems a pretty good metaphorical way of thinking about the Christian Journey in its beginnings and onwards

Our Bishop, Kelvin Wright, has spoken of the future of our Diocese in terms of a wilderness time. Wilderness is a place where we receive our identity. Jesus in the Wilderness having been given his identity has it tested ‘If you are the Son of God’ (x3)

Perhaps we are all like our Young Disciples, learning afresh what it is to be a part of a body – given a Life and a Purpose which is not our own?

Just a thought