top gear?

On the Pope’s visit to England last year an event happened that slipped under the media radar, but not that of the police. He was being chauffeured in a powerful Jaguar limousine down the M1 motorway in the middle of the night. He was chatting to the driver and said how one of the things he missed now he was Pope was that he never got to drive himself.

The driver agreed that this was a real shame and the Pope asked if he would swap places for a while so he could have a drive. After all, it was the middle of the night and the motorway was clear. The driver pulled off the motorway at the next exit and they switched places.

The Pope accelerated back onto the motorway and kept his foot down hard on the accelerator. He shot past 100 mph (he was used to the autobahn in Germany with no speed limit) and was accelerating past 120 mph when they went past an unmarked police car. Immediately the policeman put on his siren and blue lights and gave chase. As soon as he heard the siren and saw the lights the Pope pulled over to the side of the road and stopped.

The policeman strolled up to the window, which was tinted, and knocked for the driver to lower the window. The Pope did so and asked what the problem was. The policeman stammered incoherently when he saw the Pope and went back to his car to call his Superintendent. The transcript of the conversation is below:

Superintendent: “What’s the matter?”

Traffic Officer: “I’ve just stopped a car doing 120 mph.”

S: “So?”

TO: “Well I think Jesus is in the back.”

S: “What! Why?”

TO: “The Pope’s his driver!”

Yes, I know it’s old and a groaner. But there is a point. The question I have been considering today is what or who is driving me?

Do I do things out of duty or stubbornness? Am I motivated by a sense of ‘ought’ or a sense of doing ‘the right thing’? Is it what other people will think of me that drives me? Is it really true that I do things because it is what God wants me to do? Or is that sometimes a secondary consideration or a bonus?

What drove Jesus was a desire to do his Father’s will. He served others because that was his Father’s will. He blessed, encouraged, healed, challenged, inspired, and made other people laugh because that was his Father’s will. If they had them in his day he would have had a WWDD wristband – what would dad do?

It doesn’t need to be complicated. No need to tie ourselves in knots trying to work out whether God wants us to wear the green or blue tie. But be more concerned about bringing God’s justice, truth, mercy, love, joy and laughter into people’s lives.

Be blessed. Be a blessing