Mary, Mary, quite contrary
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells,
And cockle shells,
And little maids all in a row,
And little maids all in a row
Nursery rhymes at school, what was the thinking? I recall being taught this ditty and never at any point thinking, ‘this does not make sense’. I just sung it for what it was, enjoyed the tune and left it like that. Little did I know that despite its seeming nonsense, it would be the suitable launch for a blog entry.
Context first. I am on my way to work. It is a Wednesday. As my working week starts on Monday and ends on Friday, this is the peak of the week. All the momentum built over the last two days reaches its height today. After today it will either be a positive view of the week or one in which it will be a challenge to see the positive elements of it. That’s just how I roll.
Partly because it is the peak of the week, and partly because it is argubly the most boring day of the week, I make the day special by focussing keenly on some important areas in life. That way I am reminded of my need of God in my life and realise once more that without Jesus I am nothing and can do nothing.
What I focus on today is the theme of me season, presently – how do Christians grow? The link to the nursery rhyme is that reflecting on various spiritual journeys including my own, noting the peaks and troughs and the wide diversity of experiences, I often think God is like Contrary Mary. The items in his garden as well as the methods for growth often make no sense at all.
For example ‘How shall I – Holy, Pure and Righteous God – sort out the depravity of humanity? I’ll take on the human form, be ridiculed, abused, forsaken, misunderstood, betrayed, humiliated, battered, bruised, disgracefully executed and then misrepresented and further misunderstood by the ‘best’ of them, whilst embraced, cherished, adored, lovingly imitated and pursued by the most unlikely of them.
Nobody would put that forward as a business plan for success. You talk about silver bells and cockle shells, this does not make Mary seem all that contrary after all.
So it is no surprise that followers of Jesus likewise experienced painful and somewhat unorthodox episodes that were the crucial points of their growth. Yet in all that, those initial followers still discerned vital factors that enabled growth. As I have said before, just because you are older, does not mean that you have grown and it is especially the case with believers, that just because you have survived harrowing episodes and still go to church, that does not mean you are any wiser and more mature in the way of Christ. Indeed plenty of the stalwarts in pews and chairs around the christian world are actually embittered and hardened veterans of life who cling onto routine and formality but have given up on the real and ever revealing dynamic relationship with Jesus. That is not just a tragedy for them, it is a tragedy for the body that needs their contribution so we can all grow.
So it is as much for those grizzled old rusty folks as it is forthe new and fresh faced followers, that it is importantto discover in the life of the early church as well as from others, what it is that helps usto grow. That way whenjesus comes for the faithful – they will be full of faith having learnt how to grow in the grace and knowledge of him.
The usual suspects have talked for ages about mutualedification, which of course is a vital part of that growth, but what else is there? what other ingredients have been given gor us to grow? that is what will possess my mind and actions today.
So Contrary Mary had something to say about spiritual development after all! (Won’t get me into gardening, though.)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
dmcd
Life With CD 