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What does Paul have to say to us?

by Helen Bryant

Suitable for Key Stage 4/5 - Church Schools

Aims

To look at the relevance of Paul’s teaching to the modern world.

Preparation and materials

  • None required.

Assembly

  1. 1. ‘Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.’

  2. This was written by Paul nearly 2,000 years ago, but I believe that it really does have something to say to us today. Let's break it down shall we and look at how we can apply this teaching to life in the twenty-first century and see if we can find something to use in our lives today.

  3. Let's think about the phrase ‘selfish ambition’ in the quote from Paul. This is in no way saying that ambition is wrong – it is right to be ambitious, to have goals, aims and dreams that you want to achieve. If those ambitions come out of having been selfish, however – that is, you have put yourself before everyone else, you have trodden on others to get what you want – then that's not right. Let’s say, for example, that you really want the main part in the school play and you know your friend wants to go for it, too. You have a sneaking suspicion that she might be better than you, so you tell her the wrong dates for the audition. She misses out and you get the part.

  4. Paul also talks about conceit. This is an interesting point because I am not entirely sure we use this word very much nowadays, at least I don't hear it. We do often hear its synonyms, though: egotistical, self-centred, self-serving. In the play scenario, this might mean that you try out before your friend because you believe that you may be better than her.

  5. Next, Paul says ‘in humility regard others as better than yourselves’. This is not saying that you should always put others first; it's saying that if you have your own skills and talents, but you know that someone is better at something than you are, then you should take a back seat and allow that person to shine. So, returning to the school play, you should be truthful about the audition dates and let the best person get the part. It is about humility; about being humble and accepting that others have talents that we may not and our time to shine will come, just not necessarily at that particular moment.

  6. By seeing the brilliance of others, we serve their interests, setting aside our selfishness. It is a matter of seeing that ‘what I want’ might not necessarily be what's best for the greater good, for other people or in the long term.

Time for reflection

So, maybe today, try not putting yourself first. This might be as simple as holding the door open for someone else or taking the time to listen to a friend who always listens to you or helping out at home rather than leaving everything for your mum and dad to do.

Let's also think about how we can try to see our place in the grand scheme of things, taking everyone and their talents and needs into account rather than putting ourselves first.

Hymn

‘May the mind of Christ my Saviour’ (Hymns Old and New (Kevin Mayhew), 506, 2008 edition)

Publication date: May 2014   (Vol.16 No.5)    Published by SPCK, London, UK.
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