The Officer’s Blog
Major Drew McCombe shares some thoughts from the men’s week-end ‘Mandate’ held earlier this month.
Major Drew McCombe
A MAN AMONG MEN
On the 2 – 4th November 2007, 5 men of Chatham attended the Divisional men’s weekend ‘Mandate’ with guest speaker Chick Yuill. It was a fantastic weekend with good fun (we got to play Scalextrix with Jelly Babies driven around the track) and quality teaching. The theme was around the character study of Joseph in the old Testament entitled ‘A man among men’ The study looked carefully at the remarkable journey he made from the ‘Pits’ to ‘Prime minister’ (see Genesis Chapters 37 – 41). The main thrust was a look at this real man in a real world, that God is master of events, life has meaning and purpose and our story can mirror Jesus’ story.
The thing that has stuck with me is the point that our story can mirror Jesus’ story. Chick brought out the fact that there is a fore shadow or mirror of Jesus’ story in the life of Joseph. He was his father’s son, sent to his own brothers they did not receive him well, they wanted him murdered, he was thrown in a pit he did not deserve, given up as dead, but ‘rose again’ to new life in Egypt and eventually his brothers did recognise him and through Joseph there was reconciliation. Now for those who know the story of Jesus, he too was sent by his father and his own did not receive him, his own people wanted and had him killed, he rose gain and now reconciliation is for the whole world.
The challenge for me is to what extent am I prepared to allow my story to mirror Jesus’ story? To be honest this frightens me. What will become of me if I do allow my story to be a mirror of Jesus’ story. I don’t fancy rejection and suffering but equally I do long for reconciliation for myself and others. Perhaps if I am to see this reconciliation I need to be prepared for the other bits too, trusting that whatever happens to me has meaning and purpose, trusting that God is the master of events and its OK to be real in this real world. It reminded me of the chorus
‘To be like Jesus, this hope possesses me,
In every thought and deed this is my aim, my creed,
To be like Jesus, this hope possesses me ,
His Spirit helping me like him I’ll be.’
I’m glad that our General John Gowans, who wrote these words, added that final line ‘his spirit helping me’ …………….I know that’s the only way my story will ever, even in small way, mirror Jesus’ story.
