Session 4 – The Moral Compass
During this session participants will:
- explore the role of conscience and ‘standing up for right’ in our workplaces and in society
- engage with Christian and other traditions to see what light they shed onto our experience
- examine what being a ‘moral compass’ might mean in everyday life
- become more equipped to make informed decisions about ethical issues whilst maintaining integrity
- be enabled to have active and creative engagement with the ‘big issues’ that face us each day
WELCOME
Ice Breaker Activity
Encourage members to move around the room, aiming to talk to as many people as possible.
Each time you make a pair with someone name one thing in life that you will hold on to at all costs and one thing that is important to you but is more a matter of taste or tradition. These can be apparently big things or small ones, about faith or not. They can be different each time you make a new pair with someone. What is important is that the ‘hearer’ each time does not make a value judgement about the speaker has said.
Opening Prayer
Invite people to place prayers into the prayer box if they didn’t do so as they arrived (will be prayed for towards the end of the meeting).
Introduce the theme of the session and then lead the opening prayer:
Lord God, who has made us all into one body in Christ,
[Source: John Ogden]
enable us to honour one another in our working and daily lives.
Help us to understand the ways in which we depend upon one another.
Teach us to bear one another’s burdens and share one another’s joy.
In our varied occupations enable us to serve one another with dignity and carefulness.
May we receive with gratitude the work of other people.
So continue your work of binding us together in your human family.
Amen.
Discussion
Ask some or all of the following questions:
- On what grounds do you make decisions about which actions to take and which not to take?
- How do you decide which causes to stand up for, which to leave to someone else, and which don’t need bothering with (maybe)?
- Does the distinction between principle and preference help?
Principle = “A fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behaviour or for a chain of reasoning”.
Preference = “A greater liking for one alternative over another or others”.
WORD
Discussion
The word influence can sometimes be used for a self-centred thirst for power as in the title of Dale Carnegie’s famous book How to Make Friends and Influence People. However, it can also be used in an unselfish way of the desire of Christians who’re determined to see things changed in society.
American sociologist Robert Belair, said
“We should not underestimate the significance of the small group of people who have a vision of a just and gentle world. The quality of a whole culture may be changed when 2% of its people have a new vision.”
Jesus began with a small group of only 12 dedicated people and, within a few years, Roman officials complained they were turning the world upside down. Does this encourage us to speak out and act as a moral compass in the world?
Bible Readings and Reflections
You may have your own reflections on these passages, but if not here are some thoughts as a starter for teaching and/or discussion.
In using the metaphors of salt and light, Jesus teaches about the responsibility of Christians within society. In reflecting on this, ‘society’ can be taken to mean groups both large and small, so we can reflect on our roles as salt/light in the life of our nation, our local community, our workplace or company, our family perhaps, and even the whole world. Jesus is emphasizing the influences we ought to have within the world and these different types of society.
The world, he says, is like meat that’s not preserved by the powers of refrigeration – we are to be the salt that’s rubbed in to stop it decaying. Like salt rubbed into food products to prevent decay, we are called to hinder social decay. Likewise, the world is like a dark night, but we are to be the light that shines out in the darkness. Like light in prevailing darkness, we are to illumine society and show it a better way.
However, our responsibility doesn’t end there. In being salt and light, we need not only to be active in society but also to make sure that we’re active within ourselves as it were. The salt must retain its saltiness – it must not become contaminated. The light must retain its brightness – it must not be smothered.
In a sense, Christians are marked people. Society watches us. Sometimes, yes people will look to see if they can trip us up, but mostly they’ll be looking out for what makes us distinctive. They’ll be seeking to understand what they see: that one Christian nurse in a hospital, one Christian teacher in a school; one Christian in a shop, one Christian on the production line, or in an office, or at a networking group, on the Board can make a difference for good (or sadly, sometimes, for ill).
One of God’s major ways of changing society is to implant within it something that is distinctive, whether that be different values, different standards, different joys, different goals, different…… The idea from v16 doesn’t take us back to the wrong, self-seeking, kind of influence. It stresses that the aim when people “see our good deeds”, they will come to recognise the God within us.
Salt and light are not just different from their environment, their powerful influence on that environment needs to be maintained if what they’re changing is not to revert back to its previous condition. This raises questions for us as to how we sustain ourselves.
Although not mentioned in these passages, another Biblical ingredient that has great influencing powers is yeast. Like salt, yeast is invisible in the finished article but exercises a profound effect on the flavour and consistency.
Non-biblical Reading
“Christians easily take a proprietary view of the Spirit as though it belonged only to them. When they are told that God’s Spirit is poured out not just on a chosen few but on all flesh, they experience an identity problem. If people, who do not acknowledge God or Jesus Christ, are working for the kingdom’s ideals of justice, peace and human solidarity, what is the place of the church? God as spirit is everywhere present creating and sustaining all things and all people. His love is constantly seeking a response, but each one is free to respond or be deaf to this call, and not all people respond. Many who do respond serve God’s kingdom without knowing who it is they serve. The church consists of those who acknowledge that God is who he has shown himself to be in Jesus Christ.”
[Source: Margaret Kane, “What Kind of God?: Reflections on Working with People and Churches in North East England”, SCM Press, 1986. Used by permission]
Discussion
Based on the Bible passages and DVD clips you have chosen to use reflect on the following questions:
- What are the rewards of those who are prepared to suffer or at least put themselves out for what they believe (whether that be by changing or by holding out against change)?
- Are those who do good, looking after the environment, working for positive change, etc, obeying God’s commands even if they don’t necessarily know it?
- Martin Luther King Jnr once said “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” How does this link in with Christians being a moral compass in the world?
- Should Christians ever be ‘whistleblowers’?Some might argue that there were many whistleblowers in the Old Testament, it’s just that they’re called “prophets” there. What do you think of this? Is there anything in your work-life that could/would make you stand up and be counted as a ‘whistleblower?
WORSHIP
Prayer and Reflection
Light a large candle in the midst of the group (it needs to be fairly large if you’re also using it in the meditation section below).
Invite people to focus on the candle and think about our role as a moral compass in society, pray this short prayer written by Samuel Rayan from India:
A candle light is a protest at midnight.
It is non-conformist.
It says to the darkness,
“I beg to differ”.[Samuel Rayan (India) in Called to Prayer An anthology compiled by Maureen Edwards (Methodist Publishing House, 2001) © 2001 Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes, Used with permission.]
You may wish to use this prayer instead or in addition:
God of mercy and hope,
in the struggle for freedom grant us strength;
in decisions about freedom grant us wisdom;
in the practice of freedom grant us guidance;
in the dangers of freedom grant us protection;
in the life of freedom grant us joy
and in the use of freedom grant us vision;
for your name’s sake. Amen[Samuel Rayan (India) in Called to Prayer An anthology compiled by Maureen Edwards (Methodist Publishing House, 2001) © 2001 Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes, Used with permission.]
Song
You may not be able (or even want) to sing in your group. You are free to choose whether you sing, or listen to music, or watch a video clip with this song in the background.
May the Mind of Christ my Saviour by Kate Barclay Wilkinson
This is available on several CDs [names to be added by MV] and is also downloadable from iTunes [links to be added by MV]. There are also various online versions of the music alone with enough verses to sing to on the internet, two of which are at http://www.billysloan.co.uk/songs/may_the_mind_of_christ_my_saviour.html and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRTLocMzTvs – this has the words on screen whilst they’re sung by a female soloist
Lord you placed me in the world to be its salt.
I was afraid of committing myself,
Afraid of being stained by the world.
I did not want to hear what ‘they’ might say.
And my salt dissolved as if in water.
Forgive me, JesusLord you placed me in the world to be its light.
I was afraid of the shadows,
Afraid of the poverty.
I did not want to know other people.
And my light slowly faded away.
Forgive me, JesusLord, you placed me in the world to live in community.
Thus you taught me to love,
To share in life,
To struggle for bread and for justice,
Your truth incarnate in my life.
So be it, Jesus.
[Peggy M de Cuehlo (Uruguay) in Your will be done Alison O’Grady (Christian Conference of Asia Youth, 1984)]
Active Prayer/Reflection – We are called to be light and salt in the world
A lighted candle and bowl of salt (sea salt easiest but table salt okay) are placed in the midst of the group, or at the front/on the altar if it is a church or more formal setting. They are placed either side of a map of the locality – or a series of pieces of paper with significant sectors in the locality written on (eg food factories, sports ground, town hall, police station, etc). If members of the group are from different geographical localities, adjust the headings on the paper accordingly, for example different sectors of society; different occupations or social groupings; different ‘big’ issues of today’s world.
Voice 1: You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? You are the light of the world. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp-stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
Voice 2: Each of us is called by Christ to work together in carrying forward the mission of the Church in God’s world. Will you stand firm and witness to your faith in Christ both by the words you speak and the actions you take?
All: With the help of God, we will.
Everyone then takes some grains of salt and places them on the part of the ‘locality’ that they particularly feel called and commissioned to engage with actively and creatively, whether by taking a stance over an issue or ‘simply’ committing themselves to prayer.
WITNESS
Prayer for others
Place a candle in the centre of the room, and light it. Invite people to place around the candle any newspaper cuttings that they have brought with them, introducing the topic if it is not obvious.
Lead a time of open prayer on the themes that can be seen before you. Invite people to pray for other people’s themes, with the leader making sure no topics is missed out.
Each bidding could end with:
God who guides us and gives us wisdom
Give us courage to stand up and speak out for you
Open Prayer
Continue in prayer using the topics in the ‘Prayer Box’.
Again, those who are confident in praying out loud should be encouraged to take a piece of paper and pray appropriately. The leader should make sure that all requests are prayed for.
Practical action
Vera’s words are also on the DVD as a written quotation should you wish to use that instead to help group members think about why and how to tale practical action. Another quotation from the video interviews that you might like to read out to help people think about practical comes from Clive:
“Taking action today to make a difference tomorrow”
Invite people to note actions and report back next week as to how they do this in the coming week.
Active Prayer
Although explicitly mentioned in St Teresa’s prayer, we focus this week on our ears. If we are to act as a moral compass in the world, we need to listen to what is happening around us. We need to use all of our listening skills, not just to actually hear but also to discern what lies behind what we physically hear.
In his book “The Third Ear: On Listening to the World” Joachim-Ernst Berendt laments the dominance in our culture of the eye over the ear. He argues that the listener takes in much more through being receptive, attentive, and meditative, and consequently asserted that the spirituality of the future will be ear-oriented with an emphasis upon peace, compassion, and harmony. Therefore, everyone is invited to sit quietly and simply listen. At first you might hear nothing but gradually all sort of sounds will begin to be heard, both inside and outside of the room. As this happens, reflect on those different sounds. What does the sound mean in itself? Does it signify anything else? (eg: Is the rhythmic ticking of the clock comforting or irritating? What kind of vehicle is that going past? Who might be driving and why? In the silence is God saying something?) As you listen to the everyday sounds around you, ask God to help you to listen attentively to what is happening in his world, and to give you his courage and wisdom to know when and how to act and react.
After a suitable time of quietness, say the prayer together:
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands on earth but yours,
No feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he goes about to do good,
Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands,
Yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes,
You are his body.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
Blessing/Dismissal
Jesus invites us to a way of celebration,
Meeting and feasting with the humble and poor.
Let us walk his way with joy.Jesus beckons us to a way of risk,
Letting go of our security.
Let us walk his way with joy.Jesus challenges us to listen to the voices
Of those who have nothing to lose.
Let us walk his way with joy.Jesus points us to a way of self-giving,
Where power and status are overturned.
Let us walk his way with joy.Jesus points us to follow the way of the cross,
Where despair is transformed by the promise of new life.
Let us walk his way with joy.
[Used with permission. Jan Berry (Sheffield, 1990) and published in Bread of Tomorrow – praying with the world’s poor Janet Morley (Ed) Copyright 1992, by SPCK Publishing/Christian Aid]]