This week our family’s life has been dominated by health and education. It sounds rather political, yet my reflection is, in fact, pastoral!
Over the weekend, and early into this week, I spent the bulk of my time in the paediatrics ward at the Base Hospital following an injury to one of my sons, that they experienced playing social sport. The staff in the ward were caring, lovingly invested and personable. I had a number of positive dealings with the nurses and even answered some questions one of them had about which translation of the Bible would be good to use. I also give thanks that even as some of the surgery times were being delayed, one of the nurses felt they too should pray that my family would be looked upon with favour. Remarkable. Upon our departure, we bought a bunch of Australian natives and I put together an acrostic PAEDIATRIC poem!
Secondly, while half our family found ourselves in the Health sector at the Base Hospital, the other half of my family was involved in Education; with my daughter completing Work Experience at a School in far western NSW. This area of NSW struggles to attract and retain teachers, yet a couple from SCPC are serving in the public school and preschool in the small town. It is a fascinating intersection between their work life and their personal lives, with a few members of the town coming around to their house each week for Bible book club. This week the book club was looking at Mark chapter 8 and considering the earth-shattering claims of Christ, read them below! My wife was struck by how engaged and invested the members of the book club were. Praise God.
So, now you might better appreciate why health and education was on my mind this week. It also brought to mind one of the late Tim Keller’s reflections that as believers loving engage their workplaces with care, love and a personable approach, great advances are made for the gospel. He even suggested proactive and pastoral touches in the workplace by Christian brothers and sisters,[1] could well achieve greater gains for the gospel than all our Global Mission Organisations put together. Thus, I give thanks for the many members of SCPC involved in health and education and pray that you might be salt and light in your workplace.
Let me finish with the striking call of Christ to live a full and satisfying life from Mark 8.
SP
34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” Mark 8:34-38
[1] Aussie Evangelist, Sam Chan, in his book How to Share Jesus, Without Being That Guy by Zondervan books, suggests that we ought to aspire to be our neighbours’, our work places’ and our sporting clubs’ unofficial Chaplain!!
