Week Three

Drawing the short straw: Faith

None of us are insignificant to God. None of us pass without notice. None of us are forgotten or mislaid. When we fear we have drawn the shortest straw, Christ tells us there are no long straws and short straws. We are not ranked in some heavenly moral standings index. There are no loyalty points. We don’t get to cash in. Sometimes one of the biggest leaps of faith can be realising that we ourselves are as important as everyone else. Another is: appreciating the equal importance of everybody else.

SEEDS TO SOW: How ‘fair’ or ‘unfair’ do you think daily life is for the average person where you live?

Read Isaiah 61: 1-11 (Perhaps read twice)

God is for the oppressed and broken hearted. God is here for any and all who have been dealt the short straw, the raw deal, the heavy burden. There are no short straws in God’s love.

What words or phrases jump out to you from the reading? What are you drawn to reflect on?

Read 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-24

’Keep faith’, is something that’s easy to say and often hard to do.

The instructions in verses 16-22 can be a tall order. Is it fair to say that, reading through the chapter, this is advice given for a whole community but that we often shift the onus on to us as individuals with these kind of readings… as if its all up to us individuals? How can we help one another to rejoice and keep on?

Read Luke 1: 46b-55

The Magnificat Seven…

Depending on the translation we can work out around about 7 sentences here over the 11 verses of the ‘Magnificat’, Mary’s earthshaking song.

What are the implication of these lyrics for those who feel like they’re holding the short straw today?