Yesterday I played a game… listening to and writing down random snippets of conversations… This morning I’ve read some chapters of Matthew’s gospel containing snippets of conversations with Jesus…
‘I know what you’re like. You’d just buy her one!’ ‘We had this discussion about Curley Wurleys for about five minutes.’ ‘I don’t want to be here. It’s too noisy.’ I heard a bit of the story but didn’t fully understand what’s going on…
Little children were brought to Jesus. Jesus’ disciples ‘scolded the parents for bothering him’. Jesus welcomes and blesses the children. Jesus’ words cut across what the disciples have said. The disciples haven’t fully understood Jesus.
‘It had a front door and a back door…’ ‘Pushing a pram I don’t get my steps in…’ ‘So this is it. I started to get involved…’ I heard the words, but don’t understand the implications.
A rich young man asks Jesus what he must do to have eternal life. He’s kept the ten commandments; he’s a good man. Jesus tells him to sell his possessions, give the money to the poor and follow Him. The man goes away sad. He’s heard, but not understood the implications of Jesus’ message.
‘I’ve got a long, long list…’ ‘Jamie was very lucky…’ ‘When we were in Singapore…’ We had breakfast on the train…’ ‘That’s one thing that you mustn’t do. Trust me!’ Meaningful, no doubt, in context.
The mother of James and John comes to Jesus asking, ‘In your kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honour next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.’ She’d heard about Jesus’ kingdom, but not understood…
Listening to snippets of conversations… It’s fun not understanding. Some people talk with very loud voices!
Listening to snippets of conversations with Jesus… We can learn from folks who hadn’t fully understood…
It’s easy to be critical of the disciples, the young man, James and John’s mother. I’m remembering St Paul’s words. ‘In humility consider others better than yourselves…’
Snippets of conversation….I just popped into the sitting room where Julie was watching BBC1. On there were a couple of young women talking about a wonderful new initiative The Labour Party had just thought of….Yes Malcolm…it’s an initiative for all agencies to work together from the birth of a children onwards.
MMmm does this sound a bit like Sure Start, the initiative emanating from Head Start in USA. Julie worked on that initiative years ago.
And, the CAFE initiative, which was:
Collaborative Action for Family Engagement (CAFE)
I remember going all the way to Framingham for CAFE meetings where members of all the agencies met to discuss children in need. You and Jacquie were rather cynical at the time. You knew what I had yet to realise.
I won’t mention the Gifted & Talented initiative and how long that lasted for.
I wonder if Lucy Powell, present Minister for Education, will think of a wonderful initiative whereby teachers spend hours of time, which could have been spent with the kids, on a Self Evaluation Folder. Marvellous stuff.
I remember a head Ofsted Inspector, that Mark Devereux asked to do a mock inspection, said my SEF folder was an exemplar model. I told him that it had taken me many many hours to produce and what was the point of it. And, he agreed they were of no use.
Once again your musings have set me off Malcolm. I will now go into my garden where snippets of birdsong will calm me.
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