Digging Out in Blind and Humble Obedience
What gift for the world will you dig out this week?
Every legislative session begins with a visit from the Queen, and it's a very regal tradition. She wears her crown and robe and processes down a hallway lined with the Queen’s Guards who literally strike the stone walls with their swords to make sparks fly as she walks by. The hallway ends at the House of Lords, where the Queen enters to take her seat on the throne and essentially commissions the legislators to enact the will of the people. Several years ago, they were forced to break tradition a bit to accommodate the Queen in her older age. There is a grand staircase leading to the hallway, and it became too much for her to climb. So they decided to start using the elevator to get her up. Well, the first year they did this a mistake was made. The lift operator accidentally pushed the button for the wrong floor. Rather than the entrance to parliament, he presses the button for the maintenance floor. The lift goes up, the doors open, and Alice from the cleaning crew with her head down pushes her cleaning cart into the elevator as she has done countless times. Only this time, she has pinned the Queen of England against the wall of the small lift. The doors close behind her, Alice is stuck in the lift with the Queen and her Guard, and she lets out an expletive not fitting the presence of royalty. Then an awkward silence, no one knowing what to do. The silence was broken by the Queen's uncontrollable laughter, and then the most remarkable invitation. Rather than opening the doors to let Alice off, the Queen asks the lift operator to take them down to the proper floor. The doors open and to everyone's shock out walks Her Majesty the Queen and Alice the maintenance worker. Then the Queen in her regalia along with Alice in her maintenance uniform process side by side down the royal hallway. But it gets even better. Once a year for the rest of Alice's life, she was invited to Buckingham Palace for high tea with her newfound friend, Queen Elizabeth. - @tcpcrobert on Twitter
The Queen died this week. Her reign lasted for over 28% of America’s history. Her life for over 39%. As The Editors at National Review put it this week, “The impossible has been overtaken by the inevitable.” Her steady presence will be more than missed.
Kelly is back in the classroom this week. Students filled into her classroom and brought both their stories of how they spent the summer and their surprise over the newly introduced “No Cellphones” policy at her school. It’s wonderful seeing her thrive as she starts her 7th year of teaching in the classroom.
In the 1970s, a Christian community in Cameroon created art as a response to gospel readings. Here is one of their paintings from the Gospel reading in Luke this week:
The tax collectors and sinners all came to listen to Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to complain: “Look, this man welcomes sinners and even eats with them.”
Then Jesus told them this story: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep but loses one of them. Then he will leave the other ninety-nine sheep in the open field and go out and look for the lost sheep until he finds it. And when he finds it, he happily puts it on his shoulders and goes home. He calls to his friends and neighbors and says, ‘Be happy with me because I found my lost sheep.’ In the same way, I tell you there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes his heart and life, than over ninety-nine good people who don’t need to change.
In the 1st Century, the Apostle Paul wrote part of a letter that dovetails with our Gospel passage:
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
In the decade leading up to the beginning of Queen Elizabeth’s 70-year-reign, C.S. Lewis wrote this piece of advice:
"Humility…encourages us to concentrate simply on the knowledge or the beauty, not too much concerning ourselves with their ultimate relevance to the vision of God. That relevance may not be intended for us but for our betters— for men who come after and find the spiritual significance of what we dug out in blind and humble obedience to our vocation.”
- C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
And finally, Jon Foreman re-recorded his version of Psalm 51 (the psalm for this week) back in 2020:
“That’s too many quotes and references, Adam. What’s your point?”
All I could think of as these bits and pieces came to me this week was that each person got up and went about their work. From the Queen to the maintenance worker, from the Apostle to the teacher, from the painter to the singer-songwriter.
Each a snapshot of a person digging out in blind and humble obedience to their vocation.
What gift for the world will you dig out this week?