Can’t Stop Talking…
Image courtesy of Freely Photos
CATHEDRAL NEWSLETTER - 8 March 2023
Friends in Christ, last weekend, my bad back flared up for the first time in years, and I was as stiff as a board.
And if you ever mentioned you've got a bad back, the advice will flow thick and fast: the physio, the osteopath, the chiropractor, this pain medication, those stretches, these other core exercises, acupuncture – whatever has worked from the fellow sufferer giving you sympathy. Thank you!
As it happens, the newspaper I subscribe to republished one of those "latest research digests" from London, on what really works for back pain. It explained that there's no single solution to treating the problem.
Serge Nikolic, a consultant in spinal and pain medicine at the London Bridge Hospital and St Bartholomew’s Hospital, says that despite clever marketing for treatments, gadgets and exercise classes, there isn’t any evidence to suggest that one approach works significantly better than any other for treating chronic low back pain. What is effective, he says, is a bespoke cocktail of what’s available tailored to your needs.
“Back pain is ...very complex and no two people respond in the same way to any combination of therapies,” Nikolic says. “Exercise that suits one person might not suit the next...”
But this is human nature close to its best: wanting to help others who have a problem. And the method: passing on something that helped you.
Perhaps you can see where I am going with this... Last week, we saw from the way Jesus treated Levi the tax collector that LPMTG – Lost People Matther To God.
Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’ – Mark 2:17
And if lost people matter to God, then they should matter to us as well. After all, we were lost in our sin, till we put out trust in Christ. So as someone once said, evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find food.
But are we as keen to share the good news of Christ Jesus, as we are to share our best back rememdy?
Recently, the Reverend Mike Leite pointed us to Acts 4:20, when Peter and John explained why they would not stop preaching the gospel, even when the Jerusalem authorities tried to silence them.
'As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.’
Mike asked: What are we unable to stop speaking about? Football, holidays, Netflix, the grandkids...
All those things aren’t necessarily bad. We can find joy in those things. There is a gift of God in those things. But people can’t help but speak about the things they love. They love them, so they mediate on it. And read about it. And listen to it. And so, speak of it.
But don’t we have the most incredible truth to love in the message of our Lord Jesus? Don’t we have the most amazing words to speak concerning the Lordship of Jesus the Christ? Aren’t we beneficiaries of the most loving act in all of history?
Certainly we should know that that message of Christ crucified and risen, Saviour and Lord, is more certain medicine for curing sickness of soul than any remedy we can suggest for a bad back.
With that in mind, let me share about making the most of a missed opportunity. That's when you think of what you should have said 30 minutes after the conversation is over!
...Recently a member of the Cathedral congregation shared he was unsatisifed with how he reacted when a neighbour's beloved pet had died. But instead of kicking himself, he thought some more and wrote a letter to try and express a more sympathetic Christian mind on how their neighbour was missing their dog, and what God might think about it. And the neighbour said it was the most comforting letter they'd ever received! You can be sure it was a good witness to Jesus Christ.
So how to make the most of the missed opportunity? Three brief ideas:
Remember that God is in control. He can defend himself. And he can draw people to himself, regardless of our stuff ups! Let that help you relax.
Do a post mortem and think about what you could’ve said, so you're ready for the next opportunity. I always seem much smarter 5 hours later, lying awake in bed. So with a bit of reflection (or 'phoning a Christian friend') maybe you can come up with a good response for the next time a similar thing comes up.
Maybe you go back to the person, and say, “What you said, really touched me. I didn’t know what to say at the time, but it got me thinking. And this is what I came up with... I wonder if it might be helpful.”
I think that shows a lot of integrity and care. It can certainly help us keep talking about the things that matter most of all.
As Paul says in Colossians 4:5,
“Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”
Warmly in Christ,
Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney