Here’s the rub

Jo Penn February 02, 2026 0 0

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Psalm 15 (NIV-UK)

1 Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
    Who may live on your holy mountain?

2 The one whose way of life is blameless,
    who does what is righteous,
    who speaks the truth from their heart;
3 whose tongue utters no slander,
    who does no wrong to a neighbour,
    and casts no slur on others;
4 who despises a vile person
    but honours those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
    and does not change their mind;
5 who lends money to the poor without interest;
    who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

Whoever does these things
    will never be shaken.

“Jesus had no hidden agenda. He never gossiped or betrayed anyone. He supported and encouraged and told the truth, even when people didn’t want to hear it. Each of his followers was special and different. He created community by being consistently, transparently, constructively, unsentimentally loving.” From the Scargill community promises.

For the last fifteen years I have been living in an intentional Christian community whose common task is hospitality shown through welcoming guests for courses, retreats and holidays. Our community promises speak about how we are to live together – following the example of Jesus. 

We structure our days with a rhythm of prayer where we put aside regular short periods of time to be in God’s presence through our working day. We get to know one another through the shared prayers, meals, fun activities and work tasks, as well as sharing accommodation – discovering each other’s likes and dislikes, habits and foibles. We get to know each other’s moods shown in their body language when walking into Chapel in the morning. We are inspired and challenged by each other as we come from different backgrounds and streams of the church – as each of us tries to be authentic in their way of following Jesus, and we share our struggles, doubts and joys.

Living alongside others is a good test of our integrity, as we are faced with ourselves:

Do my words match with my actions?

Do my attitudes towards self, neighbour and God line up with the way of Jesus?

Can I give people the benefit of the doubt when something happens that really annoys me?

Is there room for mistakes and differences of opinion as to what is right?

Can I forgive myself and others?

Am I trustworthy, to do what I will say I will do?

Do I manipulate or exploit people?

Am I a peacemaker?

I wonder how these questions arise for you in your walk with Jesus.

Prayer:

Jesus,

You promised to never leave us or forsake us.

Be with us today in our conversations, our prayers and work.

Show us how to live well together as your followers, in friendship, trust and hope, serving God.