The Born Again Web-Site
This web-site of mine has effectively lain dormant for several years now. I think it is time to revive it.
Today (Sunday 16/Nov/2008) is the penultimate Sunday of the Church’s calendar and the Gospel reading appointed for today is Matthew Chapter 25, verses 14 – 30, concerning the man who left three servants to look after 5, 2 and 1 “talents” (measures of silver, I think). He returned later to find that the first two had doubled the value of what had been entrusted to them but the third had buried his single talent and returned it as it has been given to him. That servant was chastised as “wicked and lazy” and was cast out into darkness amid “weeping and grinding of teeth”. At this point, I was alarmed to find that I was actually grinding my teeth – a bit scary? – but not weeping although I have very occasionally experienced that - for no obvious reason. Well, of course, the big mistake the third servant made was to state that he had heard that his employer was “a hard man, reaping where he had not sown”. That was not the best way to start an apology for his failure to be enterprising!
Frankly, I fear this parable because I see my behaviour as that of the third servant – but perhaps I have buried two or even five talents?
Next Sunday is the feast of Christ the King, the last Sunday of the Church’s year, before the start of Advent. The theme for next Sunday will be the End of the World (Armageddon). I will always remember a priest preaching on that Sunday and saying that “the signs of the End of the World are the same today as they have always been – children will not obey their parents and everybody wants to write a book!”. That man rose in my estimation!
So, where do I come in - and you also (if there’s anyone out there)? Well, you know how sometimes you really think you have a good idea but you do nothing about it then later, you think “What a stupid idea that was. Thank goodness I did nothing about it”. But occasionally, you keep coming back to an idea and it always seems to be valid – sometimes, someone else will have done it and you rue having done nothing. Very occasionally, your idea is still there: it seems to be waiting for you. So, what is holding you back? If my project is for Good then the forces of Evil will discourage me and, unless I enlist spiritual help, I will never get started. Well, this brief note is my attempt to get started. I will try to post it on my web-site and see what (if anything) happens. As John Ebden used to say at the end of his radio broadcasts, “If you have been, thank you for listening”.
More tomorrow. Hopefully, I can tell you more of what I have in mind – and perhaps read your wishful thoughts, also.
Jim. <jim_naisbitt@talk21.com> St Albans. Sunday, 16/Nov/2008.