A friend told me this evening that her home insurance was discounted as a result of being ‘a church goer’.

Cue much speculation as to why this would make you less of an insurance risk.

Are church goers less likely to smoke, and so set fire to their houses? Less likely to have wild drinking parties that lead to scratches in the French polishing (remember the old advert for yellow pages? ” All quiet…”)

Or do the risk assessors have some kind of stereotypical view of Christians as solid middle class citizens who drive sensible cars stored in solid garages and whose sense of right and wrong would result in far less fraudulent claims?

But then again- have they missed something?

What about the possibility of the Rapture? All those holes in the ceiling as we rise with a trump and fly…

And I wonder if they have read the gospels? Because I am not at all sure that Jesus would have been a good insurance risk. All that associating with neer-do-wells and criminals for a start. And then there is the partying, and the crowds who break holes in the roof to let down the lame for healing.

Jesus did not go in much for the protection of his private property. He told his disciples that they did not need two shirts on their backs.

And I am forced to wonder if we people of faith should be more proud of an insurance assessment that views us as high risk.

Because our homes are open places for others in need- who might well steal and break things that we own.

Because our lifestyles are characterised by mobility as we follow after the winds of the Spirit.

Because we are not tied down to suburban safety and solidity, but rather prepared to accept the risks of the open road.

Because we are motivated by justice and peace, and that is not always popular.

The above image is of Arthur Blessitt followed by supporters, walking on Hollywood Blvd in Los Angeles on March 24, 2009 on his way to the premiere of “The Cross,” a film about his life on a 40-year voyage carrying the cross for Jesus around the world. Blessitt began his pilgrimage in 1969 and has carried the 12-foot (four meter) cross over 38,102 miles (61,319 kms) to 315 countries, island groups and territories, according to his website. Blessitt is listed in the Guinness World Records for the ‘world’s longest walk’.

A friend told me a story about cross carrying today.

There was a recent Easter march in town. Good folk from different churches gathered at one end of town and processed through to the other end. Someone was carrying a large wooden cross, others were waving banners, and the procession was flanked by tract sprinklers. At the end of it all folk gathered on the seafront and sank choruses through a PA never intended for outdoor use, and the seagulls got some crackly competition.

Apparently there was an incident at the beginning of the march, while people were gathering, during which someone decided to try out cross carrying. The person concerned misjudged the weight and balance of the thing, and over it went, cracking someone else on the head on the way down.

Now I know the person who recieved the full weight of the blow, and she is a lovely. I understand she is OK, but will have a nasty bruise.

There is some obvious comedic value in this story- the conviction of sin brought down on the head of one poor soul.

There is also the lesson for all of us in using the Cross as a battering ram or a weapon for our particular cause.

And perhaps most of all we should remember that a cross can be a dangerous weapon in the hands of the poorly balanced!!!