Turkey Vote
Dear Friends
An injustice! Having just survived Christmas, shed loads of turkeys have been massacred without question of a vote! Whether avian flu is spread by half baked Hungary itinerants or wild birds matters not, they have laid down their lives for their friends! Recently, a pastoral representative for Bernard Matthews made a name for himself in Washington with the observation that the big breasted birds
don’t vote for Christmas.
Apparently this maxim was not well known at headquarters, yet strangely the condition has been around since apostolic times. Paul described a symptom as ‘being puffed up’! Like other forms of obesity, sufferers can be oblivious to their own condition, while diagnosing it in others. The flock speak of it often, yet little discussion surfaces in professional journals. It is simply accepted as genetic, catholic and inherited hierarchically from Cardinals.
Spiritual abuse is not a virus from which we have been immunised. The use of conspiracy, guilt, condemnation, legalism, deprecation, alienation and confidentiality still debilitates the well being of our turkey shed.
Peter Block radically defines Stewardship as ‘honouring what has been given, using power with a sense of grace, and pursuing purposes greater than oneself’. It has long since occurred to me that using power with a sense of grace is an antidote for the arrogance sometimes associated with apostolic authority, but my interpretation revolved around an aesthetic akin to ‘a spoonful of sugar’ or
‘Dracula with an innocent smile’. Contrived humility if you will! Stephen Sykes in his recent ‘Power and Christian Theology’ clearly maps out force fields for the legitimate use of authority in the church. He affirms in the theologies of Creation, Salvation and Restoration three theatres appropriated by Christ himself in the service of others. The power of service he sees as a means to those ends, rather than service (even servant leadership) being the virtue itself. More controversially he shares caution over the nature of sacrifice. ‘Laying down ones life’ is a virtue of the highest order, yet it has become a mantra which those in power manipulate and impose during times of war and conflict.
Power without Grace is asymmetric. Grace without power is sycophantic. Sykes makes it clear that Power and Grace are parallel gifts to be used in tandem. They belong together like a ‘horse and carriage’. ‘Thine is the honour, the power and the glory’ is not a casual doxology.
Thank you for being among those who brings order from chaos, redemption from despair and offers restoration in our hopeless turkey shed.
Yours truly,
Victor