Wright on Work, Politics, and living in small ways: But what can I do?

image from here.

In my reading for a forthcoming paper on politics and Christian/biblical engagement, I've been reading (among other things) Nigel Oakley's interesting book Engaging Politics?: The Tensions of Christian Political Involvement. Whilst I may well write a proper review at some point, I was struck by a lengthy quote, given at the end of the book, which comes from a sermon by Tom Wright, from his time as Bishop of Durham. I reproduce it here because, in the run up to Christmas, it is important to think about what this event means for our lives, in what sense the Jesus-event is political, life-changing, and challenging. This, then, comes from "Emperors and Angels” Isaiah 9.2–7; Luke 2.1–20 a sermon preached at the Midnight Eucharist in Durham Cathedral, Christmas Eve 2006 by the Bishop of Durham, Rt Rev Dr N.T. Wright. I wonder what you might think of it. In resposne to that great question - in the face of evil, injustice, systems of power and corruption and all the evil in the heart of man - "but what can I do?", Wright writes this;

"we can pray, we can watch, and we can listen. We can, in fact, inhabit Luke’s story of Jesus’ birth right where we are. We can pray in love and devotion before the Christ-child, trusting that his new kingdom of peace and justice will come to birth within us and through us. 

But then we can watch for the empires of the world, the Augustus Caesars of our day: we can keep our eyes open for where the powers that run the world are crushing the little people who live on our street, in our town, in our local hospitals or prisons. 

And we can listen for the song of the angels. 

It will come in surprising ways, as it always does. 

God doesn’t call everybody in the same way. 

But if you are learning to love the Christ-child you will find your eyes gradually being opened to what the powers of the world are up to and your ears gradually becoming tuned to the particular song that God’s angels are trying to sing to you, and, more dangerously perhaps, through you. You will discover, in fact, the thing we call vocation: which may be as simple as volunteering to work a couple of evenings in a soup kitchen, or helping run a Traidcraft stall, or writing letters to opinion-formers, or organising prayer vigils and chains, or running a website to raise awareness of key issues—the sorts of things, in fact, granted some different technology, that William Wilberforce and his friends got up to. 

Every great work begins with little steps; usually it continues with little steps too"

I love that. What do you make of it?

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