A QUESTION OF FAITH
With Rev Simon Wearn, Rector, Holy Trinity Church IMAGINE making the case in your defence, or putting your view across to a committee. What do you say? If you could ask for help – who would speak for you?
Last week, I sat in on a planning meeting – joining the public gallery to observe but not contribute – and it has left me thinking hard about how we might put our point across in all manner of settings.
You may have had a recent experience like this at work review, or with the council regarding benefits, or even in court. I wonder, how you felt – empowered or exposed?
At the planning meeting topics covered residential, commercial and leisure developments across the borough. And each item could have a speaker for and against, limited to 3 minutes – probably down to 2 ½ minutes after introductions and thanking the chairman for the opportunity to speak!
After any questions and comments from councillors and committee members, they would vote – for, against or to defer. With the result that each planning decision had a winner and a loser – and after the decision was made, people would leave either elated or disappointed.
I’m not going to comment on any of the applications, but it left me wondering: if you had 3 minutes to make your case ... what would you say?
Imagine not that you were sitting before a planning committee, but before God – how would you make your case to Him? What would you plead, what would you say? Would there be enough time? Would you be understood?
I think we’d all struggle to make our case adequately – and yet the Bible tells us that God is a fair judge, who even knows what we say before we say it!
Maybe, however, you’d opt for a spokesperson, on your behalf. If so, who would you choose?
Before God, the Bible holds out hope – ‘But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.’ (1 John 2v1). We have someone who will speak for us, even in our faults. And Jesus who speaks, also died for those faults. It’s not automatic, but it is open to all – to all who ask. So, when we consider the greatest court, before God – who will you ask to speak for you?
In our human courts and committees – let us pray for those who speak to be heard, and let us also pray for wisdom for those who made decisions
And as we consider the Divine Court – consider who will speak for you.