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Welcome back Sunday
by Reverend Murray Spackman
Sunday 3rd February, 2008

The other day while I was out in my car I listened to a tape recorded discussion on the topic of leadership. This particular aspect of leadership was around the theme of Integrity.  The guest speaker who had written a number of books on leadership, both within the church and within the business world was asked first of all, to define Integrity.   He began by saying that often when we think of integrity we think of moral or ethical practices.  But he said that that was a very limited view of Integrity.  He began to define integrity by saying that it came from the root word for integration – being Whole; and that a person of Integrity is a ‘Whole’ person whose whole life is integrated, and he went on to point out in particular that that means that they are aware of the blind spots in their character and personality and they work towards addressing them and dealing with them.  He pointed out that as much as we might wish otherwise, and just as the eye has its blind spot, so in our moral or spiritual or emotional makeup – somewhere in our character – we too will have our blind spots when we just wont see some things about ourselves which are obvious to others. A person of integrity therefore, is a person who will admit that, and who will be open to others to help him deal with and address that.  

The Collect for today, the 4^th Sunday after Epiphany in the Book of Common Prayer, is a collect which serves to remind us that we all have those blind spots in our character.  The collect begins with the words  “O God, who knowest us to be set in the midst of so many and great dangers…”  Our own blind spot is one of those dangers!

  More car accidents have probably happened as a result of the blind spot than probably any other single cause.  So moral and spiritual failure often occurs, too, as a result of our own character blind spot.  The greatest danger of all is deny that such a blind spot exists.  But God knows that we are set in the midst of many and great dangers, and that by reason of the frailty of our mortal nature we cannot always stand upright., and so we pray today that God may grant us such strength and protection, as may support us in all dangers, and carry us through all temptations”    Some of those dangers are literally from outside of us  -  from the world around us, from living in a fallen world;  but other dangers come from within us. – from our own blind spots.  As we approach the season of Lent – this Wednesday  - it is timely for us to think about our own failures and blind spots. 

What are the dangers we might face from within - our own particular blind spot?    It may be anger, it may be greed, it could be a weakness in telling lies, it could be in the area of sexual temptation, or spiteful gossip, or arrogance or pride.   This collect for today invites us to consider what are those dangers within – and to acknowledge their very presence..  Just before the Order of Holy Communion in our Book of Common Prayer you will find the Litany (Page 24 -30)   In the opening petitions there is a series of prayers (p25) in which we seek God’s protection and deliverance from those dangers and blind spots which so easily threaten our lives.  In the early days, the Litany was regularly said or sung prior to the commencement of the Holy Communion, and therefore an appropriate preparation before receiving Holy Communion.

The Epistle for today also connects with this theme of living in the midst of dangers. It is about our responsibilities towards the state authorities and our place as Christians within a political system; and 1600 years after St. Paul wrote his words, the authors of the 1662 Prayer Book were just as much aware of the political upheavals of their day, as we are of ours. Times haven’t really changed much and to walk the Christian life with integrity, where it relates to political choices, is to walk through a minefield. Our Collect for today is just as relevant as it ever was.

In the gospel reading we see the disciples being faced with two kinds of dangers – which also mirror the dangers we face today.  There were firstly the physical dangers of them out in the boat in a sudden storm – the dangers of nature, but there were also the spiritual dangers where we Jesus’ encounter with the two demon possessed men.  In both these instances - where there was an acknowledgment of need – Jesus was there to help.

So our collect and our readings remind us today that in the midst of danger – when- by reason of the frailty of our human nature we cannot always stand upright – that we need God’s strength and protection. So the Collect concludes with the prayer – “Grant to us such strength and protection, as may support us in all dangers and carry us through all temptations; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

We may be sure that as we acknowledge our frailty and our need, and pray this prayer in faith, so God will surely answer it, and grant us grace and strength in our time of need. Amen.