A cure for boredom

I've just returned from our annual Street Pastors commissioning service. The attendance was low and we only commissioned one person - unlike two years ago when the whole team was commissioned. (Here is a photo of us when we first set out onto the streets.)

But several elements of the service hit home to me. One was when Les Isaac, tonight's preacher and one of the key people behind the Street Pastor movement, said that sometimes his Christian life had been boring. "Tell me about it," I said to myself. The same routine, the same concerns, the same frustrations, the same endless efforts to get on top of paperwork, the same guilt about the amount of time I spend on trivia. But the good news is that it doesn't have to be like that.

I was excited by two things. One is that Jesus is clearly at work calling people (even if only one) to continue this vital ministry. I had a sense in the service of the bigger picture. There is a kingdom in which Jesus is the Lord, and although I am part of it, his work doesn't depend exclusively on me. Another exciting moment was the realisation that my call is to love people. Obvious I know. Trite I know. But it hit home with renewed force. I am actually blessed in having lots of opportunities to love people - through Street Pastors, through family life, through Methodist ministry. These opportunities should fill me with excitement. And as of now, they do.

On the way home I was listening to the album Leftoverture by Kansas. The music was perfect for my upbeat mood. And given my keenness to make a difference in people's lives, the following words seemed especially germane.


But there's too many empty lives my friend
And we just can't let them waste away.
For this life is a precious thing my friend
And we just can't wait another day.