The TV show ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ has thrown up another delightful story. A year ago I posted the clip with little Andrew Johnston (Watch and Weep – 17 April 2008) and now Susan Boyle has arrived.
Susan surpasses Andrew in that when Andrew opened his mouth everyone was with him – when Susan opens her mouth, pretty much everyone is agin her.
The full clip is available here. Please take the time to watch it. “Embedding has been disabled by request.”
It brings to mind 1 Corinthians 12 where the Christian community is likened to a human body. The ‘magic’ of healthy community is measured in how you value the people whom others discard. “The parts of the body that seem less honourable we treat with special honour.” Search out the ones who feel dispensable and do whatever it takes to make them feel indispensable. Find the one on the lowest salary – locate the person who serves the most … and prize them, authentically and publically.
Sadly, other principles so often trump this principle. It is about investing in the talented one, the younger one, the beautiful one, the leading one, the extroverted one… In the image of 1 Corinthians 12 it becomes an ‘eye and head’ world with little energy for the ‘hand and feet’. That may grow a Christian community – but whenever it is the trump card, it ain’t growing it God’s way. And so we can’t really expect the Spirit to be present, but we can expect ailments and conflicts and tensions to be present. Sadly, that is what we see so often.
The Susans who enter Christian communities must know they are valued even before they open their mouths to sing.
nice chatting
Paul
About Me
the art of unpacking
After a childhood in India, a theological training in the USA and a pastoral ministry in Southland (New Zealand), I spent twenty years in theological education in New Zealand — first at Laidlaw College and then at Carey Baptist College, where I served as principal. In 2009 I began working with Langham Partnership and since 2013 I have been the Programme Director (Langham Preaching). Through it all I've cherished the experience of the 'gracious hand of God upon me' and I've relished the opportunity to 'unpack', or exegete, all that I encounter in my walk through life with Jesus.
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I knew it … I knew it. I just knew it. Susan is a volunteer worker in her local church – which adds a little poignancy to my comments.
thanks, paul! i’m thinking of juxtaposing this with 1 cor 7 for next week’s anzac weekend service on singleness – i think a bit about the situation of single women after wars and how Western Christian women are in a similar position of more women than men in the population.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/apr/19/susan-boyle-patricia-williams
Hey Paul – I think I have found America’s equivalent – This guy has got bundles of talent – check out this