Working Together
ONE OF MY favourite stories (parables) is the following: One day, in the carpenter’s shop at Nazareth, the carpenter laid the tools down and went out to have his lunch.
No sooner had he gone than all the tools started to argue with each other. “Mr Hammer, you’ll have to go. You make much too much noise.” The hammer replied, “Well, I’ll go if Mr Nail goes. I spend all day trying to knock some sense into him.” Mr Nail said “Well, what about Mr. Wood. He wouldn’t do anything I asked.” Mr Wood complained about Mr Sandpaper: “He rubs me up the wrong way.” Mr Sandpaper criticised Mr Knife: “The things he says are so cutting and hurtful.” Mr Knife says “Mr Ruler ought to go; he thinks he rules everything.” Mr Ruler has a go at Mr Rope saying, “He gets himself tied up in knots”. Mr Rope said of Mr Glue, “I’ve never met anyone so stuck up.” Mr Glue said, “What about Mr Screw? You have to go round and round in circles with him.” Mr Screw complained about Mr Screwdriver, “He always gets onto me.” So they had nothing to do with one another.
The carpenter came back from his lunch break. He realised what had been going on, but didn’t say anything. He just picked up each of the tools in turn and used them to construct a wooden plough which would be used by one of the poorer farmers in Nazareth. The farmer would use the plough to help to feed his family and other families in Nazareth. The carpenter placed the plough ready for the farmer to collect and then went out to have his tea. No sooner had he gone than the tools started to say to each other, “Weren’t we daft to fall out with each other? We did so because we’re all different, but it’s because we’re different that we all have something distinctive to offer. And look what we’ve done between us under the carpenter’s direction – we’ve made something beautiful and worthwhile and life-giving”.
Like many of Jesus’ stories (parables) about the ‘Kingdom of God’ it’s a story that reflects a truth about life. The most worthwhile, beautiful and life-giving constructive activities in which I engage are all to do with working together with others – in family life, among friends, with the Methodist people in Caversham and beyond, with Caversham Churches Together leaders and people, with Reading Inter Faith Group, and with other organisations and groups.
The ethos of Caversham Bridge is to highlight the different groups and activities which contribute to the life of the community. Simply living alongside one another does not establish a community. A community comes into being when we work together for the common good. Working together towards constructive ends, sometimes with people who are very different from us, is a hugely vital aspect of what life is intended to be.
Revd David Jenkins is a member of the
Methodist Team Ministry.
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