You made us all in your image

You made us all in your image

I think I would want to stress the “all” in the phrase I’ve chosen to reflect on from this Collect for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity. “You have made us all in your image”.

When you look around at people, it’s obvious that we are all quite different in our outward appearance. But if you think about it, we’re not so very different in the way we’re made up. Most of us have two eyes, two ears, a nose, a mouth, a couple of arms with hands on the end, and a couple of legs with feet on the end. Obviously there are some exceptions to this, but basically we’re all pretty much the same. And we all reflect something of God, all!

We might differ a bit in eye colour, skin colour, the way we walk, the way we talk, etc etc. And there is, of course, the much more obvious differences between men and women. But despite the outward differences in our appearances, we all reflect something of God, all!

There are probably many more differences between us that are less visible. Some people are happy all the time, some are depressed; some are healthy, some ill; some are addicted to drink or drugs, some never touch either; some are homosexual, some are heterosexual; etc etc. And there are, of course, many people who fall between the extremes mentioned here. But despite the less visible differences in our appearances, we all reflect something of God, all!

If we take seriously the thought that we all reflect something of God, because we are all made in the image of God, then, surely, we must also take seriously Jesus’ command that we should not judge one another.

‘Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgement you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbour, “Let me take the speck out of your eye”, while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye.
–Matthew 7:1-5

Whilst that passage gives us an indication of Jesus’ wonderful sense of humour, it also carries a very serious message, “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged”. We have to learn to accept people for who they are, whoever they are! It isn’t for us to decide that one person is worth less than another, or worth less than us. And neither is it for us to decide that one person is worth more than another, or worth more than us. Because we are all worth everything to God, and we all reflect something of God, all!

I know how easy it is to slip into making snap judgements of people for all sorts of reasons. But, surely, an important part of living our Christian lives is learning to be non-judgemental — as hard as that can be at times. However, we must strive towards that important goal, because we all reflect something of God, all!

Creator God,
you made us all in your image:
may we discern you in all that we see,
and serve you in all that we do;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Additional Collect for The Sixth Sunday after Trinity
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council

Wheelie bin cross today!

Wheelie bin cross today

It isn’t often I get angry about anything. I’m really quite an easy-going chap. But today I got really cross following a letter that popped through our letter box with today’s post, concerning our wheelie bins. Now that I’ve calmed down, I just couldn’t resist the somewhat “punny” title. And following Steve’s suggestion that I post more, thought I would write about it here — even though it is completely off topic for the blog.

The paragraph of the letter that annoyed me was:

Our waste disposal operatives have reported that you are leaving bins on the public highway on a non collection day. Failure to return bins to your premises following collection in an offence under section 46 of the Environmental Act 1990.

Nowhere in the letter, and certainly not in that paragraph, is there any indication that this letter may have been sent to anyone else other than me. It annoyed me because I know that what is said above just does not happen. The bins are normally put out around midnight the night before they are due for collection. And, as I’m usually around when they’re emptied, most of the time they’re brought back in with thirty minutes of collection. On the odd occasion that I’m out, they’re brought in no later than late afternoon.

I guessed that the letter is probably something that has been sent to a number of people in the area, because there are people living close by who leave their bins out for several days, before and after collection. But, as I say, there’s nothing to indicate that in the letter.

So I got cross because this letter is accusing me of something I know I haven’t done. But I can imagine it being very scary for some people — a frail pensioner that is already struggling with these big wheelie bins, for instance.

I got so cross, in fact, that I rung the District Council to complain — something I very rarely do. Of course, I couldn’t get to speak to the person who the letter was supposed to have been written by, she’s on long term sick leave. So I spoke to someone who said they would get someone else from the department concerned to ring me back, but it might not be until next week. However, surprisingly, I did get a ring back today.

The person who rang me was very helpful, and assured me that this letter was something sent to everybody in the area, and took on board my complaint about the way it is worded. I was, as it happens, the first of quite a long list of people he had to ring back from the same Court as I live in, so it sounds as though I’m not the only one to get cross, or upset, about this letter. He is probably experiencing quite a torrid afternoon, even as I’m writing this. And quite rightly so too. I just hope that no completely innocent people have been scared by the very legal sounding way it’s written.

I hope the next letter that pops through our letter box from the District Council is an apology for today’s.