Dear Friends,
Blustery wet and chilly weather abounds as I write this …and not just outside… but also on our political landscape. Muck flinging, finger wagging and harsh rhetoric seems to abound as pressure rises and factions vie for advantage and power.
It feels chaotic, overwhelming and to my mind, not behaviour becoming of well educated, well-heeled leaders & those we look up to in positions of trust and authority.
Then I read our gospel reading and the contrast was huge. I was left musing on what a different kind of leader Jesus was, is. I felt my spirit shift and rise.
Jesus’ behaviour when under pressure, really under pressure…like just before he is about to die, is praying this final prayer. Glorifying and submitting to God the father and praying for protection and unity for the disciples as they went out into the world.
So dear reader, my takeaway was to be reminded that we belong to him. He will not abandon us. Hold fast and keep praying. His ways are our ways. We won’t always get it right, but we keep trying with humility and grace the best we can. Unity is strength. Change for the better is born from this. It starts local, it starts small. Look at how small a group Jesus started with and where we are now.
Today I got a haircut. My hairdresser knows I’m a Christian and out of the blue she asked me about faith, Church, attitudes to inclusion, what Jesus’ take would be on the aforementioned and the days political theatre.
She told me that she started praying this week and that she had noticed something inside her had changed. She wasn’t sure what, but she felt better, less stressed…peaceful? We talked and talked, held moments of silence and gave space to wondering.
Building community and unity, cultivating peace and togetherness it seems, can start anywhere at any time. Initially today’s encounter made me feel a bit vulnerable, exposed so to speak, but I left with a profound sense of peace and hope. Jesus’ prayer resonating with me for real.
Now that’s real power and authority. That’s the impact of a real leader.
Love Julia
Julia Jones