A 'Shared Society'

On 9th January this year the Prime Minister, Theresa May, launched her ambitious plan to create a ‘Shared Society’.  She spoke of ‘fairness and solidarity’, ‘overcoming division’ and creating a ‘society that works for everyone.’  This isn’t a new concept however, back in 2010 David Cameron put forward the idea of a ‘Big Society’ and in 1997 Tony Blair spoke of wanting to create a ‘classless society.’ So why are we, seemingly constantly, struggling for a society which works better for the sake of it citizens but failing to bring it to fruition?  As Theresa May so pointedly said in her speech on 9th January “There is more to life than individual self-interest.”
 
We live in a paradoxical time where many want the world to work for them, yet are not seemingly willing to work for the world.  Society around us tells us we are worth it, we can have it now, or we can be whoever we want to be, not to mention the rhetoric which says ‘if it feels good do it’.  With this being pushed at us every day shared society, a big society, a classless society might all seem to be pie in the sky thinking, but if we look back to how the early Christians came together to live we have an amazing example of how we can live to work for each other. 

The book of Acts shows how a ‘shared society’ can work, “Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common … There was not a needy person among them.” Acts 4:32-34 (look up the All Saints Acts 435 initiative)
 
This is a bold approach to life, and I am not suggesting such a drastic move in property ownership should be rolled out in 21st century Britain, but we need to switch our thinking from ‘What can I get out of it?’ to ‘What can I put into it?’  When we live in a world of ‘individual self-interest’, asking how society is going to work for us without considering how we are going to work for society, we run the risk of elevating oneself to more important than the next person.
 
Yet if we are to believe the words of Jesus, he came to save the world.  Jesus loves you, whether you realise that yet or not, but he also loves the whole world too.   He loves you and wants you to prosper (in the fullness that can be) but he also loves the person down the street, the person in the big house with the ‘important big job’ and the lady on the street asking for food.
 
As Paul the Apostle wrote “There is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, for all are one in Christ Jesus.”  Jesus came to level the playing field, to create the ‘Shared Society’, ‘Big Society’, ‘Classless Society’ yet 2000 years on we have still not got it right.  There is still division, there is still injustice, there are still poor on our streets and people fleeing from war, because still we look at what we can get from life, society, the world rather than what we can give to it.
 
Adapting the words of 35th President of the United States of America I would encourage you,
“My fellow citizens of this world, ask not what your country/society/world can do for you, but what you can do for your country/society/world.”
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Mrs Lydia Remick, LLM
Lydia is a Licensed Lay Minister for All Saints Church, has a passion for living and preaching the gospel, as well as being a keen supporter of Cornwall Roller Derby. She also runs her own Arts and Crafts business.