Uprooting

This afternoon I am undertaking an essential activity: catching up on the second series of Downton Abbey, in readiness for tonight's new series.

 

In the episode I am just watching, Edith - one of the Crawley daughters - has taken up driving and offers to help a local farmer drive the tractor.  One of the tasks that she is asked to do is to help uproot an old tree trunk  (which is about two feet wide), by attaching a chain to the tree stump and then to the tractor.  As she drives away, the viewer has the satisfaction of watching the stump being yanked from the soil.  It falls sideways and the deep roots are exposed.

 

Sometimes we have deadwood and old tree stumps in our lives which need uprooting too.  Things which have taken root down in the depths of our souls.  Resentment and bitterness and regrets and hurts and wounds and lies.  Things which have taken hold and which have spread through our hearts.  Dead things which have no use or purpose and need to be pulled up.

 

Jesus said,

“Every tree that wasn’t planted by my Father in heaven will be pulled up by its roots."

[Matthew 15:13 MSG]

 

And Paul talks about destroying these dead things in our hearts and in our lives, the things which prevent us from knowing God properly:

"We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God."

[2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NLT]

 

But sometimes we can't uproot these things by ourselves - we need the help of others.  We need someone with a metaphorical tractor to help us to pull out the things that are deeply rooted in our hearts.

I remember someone praying with me a while ago about some 'dead wood' in my own life and the person I was with said,

The wonderful thing is that someday someone will come and take that dead wood and fashion from it something beautiful.  This won't be wasted.

Uprooting is never the end of the story.  It is simply a new beginning.

 

 

 

Behind the Scenes

A rainy bank holiday seems to lend itself perfectly to a Downton Abbey marathon.  And that is exactly how I have spent today.

 

I'm always torn as to whether I would prefer to be 'upstairs' or 'downstairs': obviously upstairs get beautiful dresses and have a relatively easy life, but downstairs is full of intrigue.  Plus, I've always liked the idea of using servants' staircases and 'secret' passageways.

 

Watching it today, I was struck by how invisible some of the servants were - and had to be.  Their job was to serve the family without being seen. 

 

They worked behind the scenes.

 

Daisy, who usually works in the kitchens, is told off in one episode for still being above stairs lighting fires when the family are up - there is the fear that she might be seen.  The family, of course, know of her existence (after all, they hired her), but she is never meant to be seen by them.

 

It got me thinking about the way that we serve and our attitude towards it: sometimes we are quite the opposite of invisible.  If I have to get up early to set up stuff for church, I'm going to put it as my Facebook status - here at 8am!!!  If I'm the last one to leave because I'm packing everything away, I'm going to be sure to mention it in a conversation next week.  If I have to pay for something with my own money, I'll drop it into a conversation, by telling everyone that I "don't mind at all".

 

But is that really the servant heart that Jesus calls us to?

 

In the Sermon on the Mount, He said to His disciples -

"Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it.  It might be good theatre, but the God who made you won't be applauding.  When you do something for someone else, don't call attention to yourself. You've seen them in action, I'm sure — 'playactors' I call them — treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds.  They get applause, true, but that's all they get.  When you help someone out, don't think about how it looks.  Just do it — quietly and unobtrusively.  That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.

 

[Matthew 6:1-4 MSG]

 

Jesus calls us to work behind the scenes, unobtrusively, quietly, humbly.  Serving others in the same way that He served us: without drawing attention to our efforts. God sees what we do in secret - behind the scenes - and He rewards us for it:

"Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

 

[Matthew 6:4 NIV] 

 

When it comes to serving, like Daisy, we should be invisible.  People should be able to see what we have done, but they don't need to know who has done it.  Our aim should be for people to see Jesus through our acts of service, not for them to see us.

"In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

 

[Matthew 5:16 NIV]

Fresh Start

This afternoon, I went to watch the new Batman film. 

I really enjoyed it and there were lots of things that stood out for me.  However, to avoid ruining any of the twists if you have yet to see it, I will keep my comments short and spoiler-free.

One of the main things that I found really significant was how one of the characters is completely driven and motivated by a desire for a fresh start and a new identity.  And she will do anything to achieve this.

She is so desperate to wipe away the trace of her past and who she was, that she will stop at nothing until she has got what she wants.

Her desire for a fresh start and to be able to wipe the slate clean is one that we can all empathise with.  We have all done or said or been things with which we're not especially proud.  We all have, as Lord Grantham says in 'Downton Abbey' "chapters we'd rather keep unpublished."

And the good news is that when we put our trust and our hope in Jesus, we are given a fresh start.  We are made new:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"

[2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV]

Whilst we receive a brand new life the moment we turn to God, we are always in need of another fresh start and another fresh start and another fresh start.

And with Jesus, if we ask, there will always be a new beginning, a chance to wipe the slate clean and to start over:

          "Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
          for his compassions never fail. 
          They are new every morning."

          [Lamentations 3:23 NIV emphasis mine]

I love this prayer of David for a fresh start and new life -

         "God, make a fresh start in me,
         shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life."
         [Psalm 51:10 MSG]

We all long for a fresh start, but we don't have to pursue it with all that we have.  We simply have to ask.