Download The little boy was a real terror

Five minutes that didn’t shake the world – but one never knows!
Assembly, Chapel or whatever it is called is often part of a school’s conscious
programme of education in the spiritual domain. It is a particular challenge to
capture the young in this context, often when they are present in large
numbers. Time constraints add pressure and there is a tension in getting
things ’right’ on all fronts.
This is a particular challenge when ‘worship’ is a part of a full school, or house
assembly, when other matters of importance tend to dominate, like sports
reports or disciplinary issues. (One Chaplain in the UK used to beat himself
into a frenzy to make his message have any impact at all in a context he
defined as ‘a hymn, a prayer and a bollocking!’)
Transforming the sports hall into a sacred space offers as much challenge as
making the assembly a sacred time.
Below is a five-minute reflection from a weekly Chapel service. Stories, welltold and often without explanation, may capture the audience and enable the
focus question to be ‘planted’ for consideration later.
Usually, it is a matter of tossing a rock or two into a still pond and letting the
ripples go where they will. But do not forget, either, that this is a way of
touching those on staff who may themselves benefit from a little prod to think
on the school’s mission – and to fold it into their daily work.
The little boy was a real tearaway. He was always in trouble and he was
always the first to be questioned when there was a problem. His parents and
teachers had tried everything. They had no impact, it seemed and thought
they had to do something different.
They asked the priest to help. He would put the fear of God into young
Paddy and that might be just what was needed.
Paddy was taken to the door of the presbytery and ushered into the priest’s
study. It was dark, a gloomy remnant from the 19th century, not unlike the
small, wiry unsmiling man in black who came in quietly and wordlessly. He
sat down opposite the boy and clasped his hands in front of his mouth,
staring at the small lad before him. Paddy was uncomfortable and wriggled
on his seat. It was a long, long silent stare.
Eventually, Father Flynn dropped his hands into his lap and put his face close
to the boy’s. He spoke slowly and firmly.
[BIG IRISH ACCENT HERE!]
‘Where is God?’ he said loudly and with emphasis. Silence. Even more
loudly and with even greater emphasis he almost bellowed ‘Where is God?!’
Instantly, the boy got up, ran out of the room, shot through the front door and
sprinted home. He slammed the front door behind him and dashed upstairs
to his room, where his parents, stunned by his sudden return, found him
cowering on his bed in the corner.
‘What is it, Paddy? What’s wrong?’ Their concern was real.
Trembling, the boy spoke in barely a whisper.
‘G-G-God’s gone missing – and they’re blaming me for it!!’
[Pause for laughter, if we are lucky!]
It’s a good question. Where is God? My mother used to say ‘Well, God’s in
his Heaven and all is right with the world.’
It may be true that God is in his Heaven, whatever that may mean for each
one of us, but we may well wonder what earthly use that is.
Note the play on words – what earthly use is a God in Heaven?
Well that’s where we come in, because I don’t believe that God is just in his
heaven. God is right here, right now.
And where do we look for God? Everywhere, at every time and in everyone.
You see, scripture tells us that we have work to do for God. Our prayer this
week contains that reminder from St Theresa that God has no hands, no voice,
no feet, no time on earth but ours...
Why?
Because ‘we are the body of Christ’. And what does that mean? It means
quite simply that we have been given, are given, every day the chance to do
something for God. It can be something big and grand but usually it will be
the smallest thing – a kindly word or gesture, bringing someone into the
crowd who is left out; lending a hand where it’s needed; taking care of the
earth; foregoing that extra treat and putting a few dollars into a worthy cause;
having the courage to correct someone who has been hurtful.
Always and everywhere.
We pray in the Lord’s Prayer – your will be done on earth as in heaven. If we
act as the body of Christ, always and everywhere, then earth will become
more and more like heaven, perhaps one day so much so that we won’t know
the difference.
If God has gone missing, who is to blame? Perhaps we all are! But if we do
our part, all of us, always and everywhere in God’s work here, the answer to
the question will be so obvious that we won’t need to ask it. Where is God?
We will all feel the presence of God wherever we are and in our dealings with
each other. Let us not only pray ‘your kingdom come on earth as in heaven’
and let’s do our bit to make it happen.
Gracious God,
We meet you in the people we encounter every day.
We meet you among friends and peers, our teachers, our parents, our
brothers and sisters and members of the community.
Bless the lives of all who display your presence in our world and our
experience.
Amen.
Christ has no body on earth but mine,
No hands but mine, no feet but mine;
Mine are the eyes through which he looks out onto the world;
Mine are the feet with which he goes about doing good;
Mine are the hands with which he is to bless all people now.
Loving God, send us into the world you love to be the Body of Christ to those
we meet and we pray your Holy Spirit, the Comforter and Sustainer upon us
to enable us to do this.
Almighty God, you have promised to hear our prayers.
Grant that what we have asked in faith
we may by your grace receive,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.