Christmas.
Walking back home with my nephew, a new Vicar, I pointed to some rain clouds and said. "Look at those clouds, have a word with your boss, we don't want to be rained on". He replied,
"I'm in sales, not management".
That was forty years ago, and looking at the world today, I see a great need for better management. Looking at current wars and unrest, one has to say religions are not good at management. Some are good at domination and oppression, very heavy handed with 'thou shalt not', but not offering any 'thou shalt'. Bearing in mind we celebrate 'peace on earth and goodwill to all men', it seems the message to "set my people free" has been lost.
We spend one day a year living as God expects us to do, and 364 days filling Him with bewilderment and possibly despair. Small wonder that since we murdered His messenger, He has had nothing to say to us. We have to struggle on with a book 2,000 years old, interpreted by robed men whose job depends on convincing us nothing has changed; but it has.
The Archbishop wrings his hands, piously urges us to take in refugees and give to the poor; but has nothing to say to the war mongering empire builders, nor a whisper about blatant tax avoidance. It is as if his intentions are to protect the causes of his piety.
Thus there can be no request for vicars to take up management.
But there can be a clarion call for management to take up God.
Give value to the customers, don't just 'say' they are important, but 'treat' them as important, and help improve the quality of their life, not merely the quantity of your profits.
By using your God given imagination, listen to the voices of the 'little people'.
Archpip Plumtree
