Walk This Way!

 It’s an old Vaudeville  joke, it’s used in lots of films and is quoted in the current work being read by the AFC Book Discussion Group.

The rather odd Bell Boy is commissioned to show the guests to their room instructing them to ‘Walk this way’.  So, off they go, puzzled but copying his strange gait as they ascend the staircase.  It gets a laugh and can be used in countless contexts.

As a toddler, I’m told, I did much the same thing copying my grandmother’s walk.  She had a pin in her leg so couldn’t bend it.  So whenever I visited her at Rickmansworth both she, and the three year old me, would walk down Ricky High Street with a stiff leg – we must have looked quite a pair!

As Peter and his friends get to grips with what it means to be a disciple of Jesus they slowly (and sometimes it’s very slowly) come to realise that they have to Walk like Jesus.

At first Peter isn’t too sure what that means because, as we’ll see in Sunday’s reading, he’s still a bit confused as to who Jesus really is.  Part of him still wants him to be a powerful King, but Jesus will, from this point on, not only teach him, he’ll also show him, that he came to be a selfless Servant.

That’s why a cross is often the symbol of Christianity.  Jesus gave his life, selflessly serving others and he even lost his life doing so.

On a church youth group holiday to Scotland in my teens we stayed in an old castle.  A small room was set aside for private prayer.  One morning I crept in just to see what happened.  I sat in a corner out of sight and a minute or so later the leader of our group, our Bible Class Teacher, came in.  He didn’t see me, but I watched him.  I saw him read a few verses from the bible and then get on his knees to pray.

I remember nothing of what our Bible Class Teacher said during his talks that holiday, but I’ve never forgotten seeing this wonderful man sink to his knees as he committed a new day, and all us youngsters in his care, to God.

It made the deepest impression on me, for I thought then, even as I do now, that he was someone who Walked like Jesus.

…and so a few bits and pieces about church life…

…We hold our Church Administrator, Laura, in our prayers attending her father’s funeral on Monday.

…Next Tuesday both the Finance and Property Sub Committee and the Team Meeting will gather, coming together socially distanced, under the current guidelines issued by our denominations. 

…Next Friday we are going to be having a Zoom call with The Revd Edwin Quildan, the minister of our link church at Harlesden, North London.  It will be good to catch up with Edwin and share news together.

…and finally we are looking into the possibility of having live music in worship on Sundays.  Government and denominational guidelines now permit a small choir to sing in a service, about five people.  So, we are exploring the possibility of some, or all, of our hymns at the 10.30am service being sung by such a group.  If they did that from the chancel area, from the elders’ chairs, that would meet the social distance requirements both for them and the congregation.  We’ll see how our plans progress as the next few weeks unfold.