Words of Faith template

“Anyone unwilling to work should not eat” says St Paul in our epistle set for today. At first sight that looks like an extract from a very right wing party manifesto, but the context is that there were people in the early church who were freeloading on the generosity of others. These were people who presented themselves as being church leaders but who were in fact expecting the church members to look after them and feed them. Paul reminds his readers that he has always earned his way and never been a burden to anyone.

As you can imagine this is a slightly sensitive issue to me, as a paid member of the clergy! Fortunately the days are gone when the clergy were part of the gentry and lived in large houses with plenty of servants, but nevertheless it is essential that the church should not allow the structures to overburden the foundations. When we worry about finding the money for the Common Fund we are really asking “Can we afford the clergy we have?”

There is a general principle here, which you could sum up as “Everyone should pull their weight”. What we have to offer will differ from person to person and from one stage of life to another, but each of us is called to work: there is no exception. So what’s your job? How can you help? What contribution can you make? These are the questions we should all be asking ourselves, because if we are not willing to work…