Yesterday Liz was telling me about her running. She trains each week with her running club; she takes part in the weekly parkrun. she’s currently helping a friend train for a marathon later in the year. For Liz, running is a social event.
For the many years, running was my opportunity to get away from people. Running under town streetlights on winter evenings, running through the countryside on summer mornings, was me-space – for individual thoughts and prayers.
I’ve read several books recently about the First World War… life in the trenches, comradeship and sacrifice, dirt and death. Yesterday I read the phrase, ‘lions led by donkeys’ used to describe brave soldiers being commanded by incompetent leaders. Courageous, capable but subordinate lions are contrasted with inept, foolish decision-making donkeys.
Stories are told of individuals with their individual homes, families, feelings, hopes and fears; but they’re together eating together, sleeping together, suffering together, and in many cases dying together.
Last night we watched the Seagull Youth Theatre present ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.’ Thirteen talented, well directed teenagers were on stage for the whole production, working together, moving together, telling the story together.
And yet the young people are each individuals, supported by justifiably proud parents in the audience. They told the story of fifteen-year-old Christopher Boone who has Asperger’s Syndrome. Christopher isn’t like other people. He doesn’t fit in. He’s a peculiar, quirky, misunderstood individual, who finds ‘together’ difficult.
A week today will be Good Friday. Much of the narrative of the last week in Jesus’ life involves other people – Palm Sunday cheering crowds, temple traders, Jesus’ friends at Bethany, disciples at the last supper, Good Friday soldiers, priests and angry crowd…
And yet Jesus is an individual, washing feet, speaking truth, healing bodies and minds, challenging and calling out the wayward, following His Father God whatever the personal cost… to trial and execution.
I’m praying that this week I’ll understand and respond to Jesus the individual, Jesus together-with-others, just a bit better.
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