Chaplain’s Chat

The TV show Survivor must be the ultimate game of selfish thinking to win the prize. In a game where there can only be one winner, the competitors are happy to make alliances with others, only to break these near the end of the game to ensure they can win. At the end of the day, there is a ‘winner takes all’ feel to the programme, where contestants are happy to vote off others with whom they previously had an alliance. While we might simply see this as another TV show to watch for some relaxation and enjoyment, so often in life we see people living out this mantra of wanting to be the sole survivor in life. The competitive race to beat everyone else on the sporting field, in a job setting or in the classroom can affect us all.

In our look at the book of Genesis this term in Chapel, we see a character called Jacob who probably would have thrived on Survivor! Jacob is happy to deceive his brother Esau out of his birthright, and then even deceive his father to receive the blessing that was due to Esau. Jacob wants it all for himself. And yet in this whole story, we are reminded that it is not the actions of Jacob that are the key, but God’s faithfulness to his promises. It is God who promised to bring about his plans and purposes (despite the actions of the people involved), and it is God who delivers on these promises. Isn’t it wonderful that the Christian faith is based on the promises of a faithful God rather than the actions of people who are often so unreliable!

Reverend Anthony Benn
School Chaplain