My Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ

At Christmas, Susan gave me a 1500 piece jigsaw puzzle - one of those puzzles with hundreds of people in the picture, doing silly and comical things and which looks so easy to do, but proves to be, surprisingly difficult. The picture, which poked fun at the conveyor-belt stream of weddings that takes place in many churches and the kinds of guests that they attract, offered some uncomfortable insights into the way the church is sometimes perceived by the world. But it was the putting together of the puzzle that was really instructive and provided the real food for thought.

Firstly, without the picture, the puzzle would just be a jumble of meaningless pieces and it would be almost impossible to make sense of it. And it struck me, that that is the starting point in life too. Without the big picture, life is just a meaningless jumble of events - as the poster in my office of the world as seen from space says, ‘Without God, it’s just a vicious circle". Even in a post-modern world where our perceptions make our reality that still holds true. Carl Jung once said that of all his patients in the second half of their life, there had not been one whose problem was not that of finding a religious outlook on life, and that none of them had really been healed who did not regain a spiritual framework.

Just as with the puzzle, we need the "big picture" if we are to make sense of life. Part of our ministry, therefore, is to help our people see and understand that picture and to order their lives in the light of it. But Christian spirituality takes us further, to the place where it is not simply a question of knowing the big picture, but of knowing the One who gives meaning to that picture. And that is at the heart of what our ministry to ourselves and to others is all about. Starez Silovan said,

"We may study as much as we will, but we shall still not come to know the Lord unless we live according to his commandments. For the Lord is not made known through learning, but by the Holy Spirit. Many philosophers and scholars have arrived at a belief in the existence of God, but they have not come to know God. To believe in a God is one thing; to know God is another."

Part of our ministry, as I have said, is to help our people understand the big picture. A more important part, is to bring them into a living relationship with Christ that they long to live their lives "in Christ". The goal of spiritual formation, is not to teach our people to know more about God, but to bring them into union with God.

Secondly, 1500 pieces of a jigsaw may not seem all that much while packed inside a box, but spread out on a table they are quite a daunting sight. To assemble them, requires a high level of intentionality and a clearly defined plan of action. Each piece must be placed right side up, then sorted into subject matter - pieces from the border of the puzzle in one place, those with parts of the pews in another. Only when that is done, can you really begin to put it together. And the assembly itself requires some kind of plan. We began by trying to assemble the outside border. That set the boundaries and made it a little easier to figure out where other pieces might belong.

Our ministry, equally, demands intentionality and a clearly defined strategic plan if it is to be effective. God has a divine plan for our diocese, our parishes, and the lives of all our people. As we have tried to discern that plan, so we believe that God has led us to formulate our diocesan vision. We have a picture of what God wants us to be. We are called now to try and make that vision a reality, and that requires intentionality and clearly defined plans.

By way of illustration: The vision says, "The spiritual growth and ministry of all believers is dependent on vibrant Christian community." What would a vibrant Christian community look like? Where are there glimpses in our parish of vibrant Christian community? What could we do to strengthen and expand that sense of community? Where are we clearly not a vibrant Christian community? How could we begin changing those areas to make them more vibrant, more Christian, more community? And as soon as we begin to answer those "What could we do" or "How" questions with the intention of doing something about it, we are beginning to create a definite strategic plan for implementing the vision.

The third thing that I learned in reflecting on the jigsaw puzzle was the importance of team. Given enough time and perseverance, I might have been able to complete the puzzle on my own, but not in the time available. But with help, what was an impossible task, was finished with time to spare. Each worked on different sections of the puzzle, but we were working together towards a common goal and were united together in a common purpose that built a tremendous sense of camaraderie.

Perhaps puzzles could be solo events, parishes can’t. God calls us into community; to live together, work together and pray together. Difficult though it might be at times, our life in Christ is communal, and our ministry shared. Each of us is uniquely gifted, and to the extent that individual gifts are not recognized and given their rightful place in the work of ministry for the good of all, the Body of Christ is diminished. It may often be quicker and easier just to do something ourselves, but it certainly isn’t biblical. We are a people "in Christ," and in that common life, leadership is shared and ministry willingly delegated and recognized in accordance with our unique gifts.

It is relatively easy to assemble a jigsaw puzzle; it is much more difficult to build a parish. But the principles are much the same - know the big picture, develop a plan, and let others share in making the vision a reality. As we are faithful, so the God of grace who has already taken hold of us will do it all.

May God bless you.

+ Brian

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