Daily Worship

Re: Enthuse, Just enough, just in time

Fiona Reynolds January 23, 2025 8 1
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John 16: 12-15 (NRSV)

12 ‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

I wonder what it was like for the disciples to hear Jesus saying the words, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” I initially thought it sounded quite harsh, with my immediate response being to push back: “Why not?!” Then I started thinking about how our lives of faith are a whole-life marathon, not a short sprint. 

In the world of supply chains and spare parts, there is an approach called ‘just enough, just in time’. For example, mechanics do not have every part for every car lined up on shelves. They will stock the regularly-replaced items that can go on most cars, and only order more specialised gear when required. There is a downside to this, which is that car-owners may have to wait for a part to arrive before the car is road-worthy again. Frustrating. Yet, there are many upsides. The mechanic does not have to spend lots of money on lots of storage for spares they may never use. Spares are not left to degrade or corrode on the shelves, becoming useless before they are ever needed. There is also the reality that technology is always advancing, and by ordering something when needed we are more likely to receive the latest version. And yet, there is an even-more streamlined approach on the horizon: 3D-printing!

Jesus is not belittling or patronising the disciples: he is offering them a statement of fact. There are things in this life that we do not need to deal with just yet. We do not need to know everything today. In fact, it will be much better to receive what we need — guided by the Spirit — when we need, not ahead of time.

 

Prayer:

 

Give us the faith we need, good Lord,

to step into each new day with what we have,

trusting that, should we need her, 

the Spirit is but a breath away.