Getting things in perspective.

There is a danger that this post might turn into just another rant about church.  I'll try to avoid that, but I have had something of a challenging weekend.

Friday night and Saturday I was away at a meeting of the national council of an organisation I'm part of.  As with any charity, we have to be careful with the money God had given us and make sure we are using it as effectively as possible, especially in these troubled financial times.
 So we'd been discussing reshaping the movement to give more control of what happens locally to regional teams and to reduce the control and costs of head office.  It's important policy for the movement, and will have a significant impact on the lives and jobs of those who work for and with SU.  I don't think any of us who were there found it easy to discuss.
 
So it was something of a shock to come back to my church on Sunday evening and to find that what some people were most concerned about was that their free coffee was warm, rather than hot.  Ok, perhaps that's not the ideal coffee temperature, but compared to what I'd been discussing the day before it rather puts things into perspective. Something that puts both into even more perspective is a campaign by the sister of one of my friends for clean water in the developing world.

Sometimes it seems to me that the church- or at least the local church- seems to think that all the poor and needy that they are called to minister to are outside the church, or at least far away.  They don't seem to realise that sometimes there can be need within the church too.  My church is a big supporter of the Besom project in York- an organisation which helps those in poorer areas of the city in practical ways with gifts of furniture or time to decorate a house or clear a garden.  There is work going on too with the street people.

But when it comes to subjects of giving or helping others there often seems to be a failure to recognise that not all those who are in need are outside the church.  Perhaps this is just the effect of my being in a church that's broadly middle class.  For the majority of people there, what is being said is probably appropriate.  But for those who are already struggling, and don't feel they can sensibly give any more than they already do, inducing guilt in them is hardly likely to help their spiritual lives.  Plenty of people, even 'middle class' people, are struggling too, through loosing jobs for example.  And then there are those who are vulnerable in other ways.  For those like me, who have just enough , it doesn't take much to push you over the edge into worry and fear.  Then to come to church and be expected to sing about God's wonderful gifts can just make you want to crawl into a corner and cry about where you got things wrong.

But although worship in this situation can be hard (and is not helped by the wording of some songs) it can also help us come to terms with what's going on and reaffirm our commitment to God.  One song I've several times found helpful is "Blessed be your name" by Matt Redman.  It reminds me that the Christian life is never going to be nice and easy.  But it helps me express the fact that I still trust in God, even when it's tough and I feel like a fraud singing songs about how great everything is.  It helps me get perspective on the situation, to remember that there are many people who are struggling too.  But most of all it reminds me that I haven't been abandoned, even if it feels like I am alone.  God is still there with me, and he still loves me.  And that is the ultimate perspective.