Advent day 2, 2020

The leaves blew over a silent stoney ground 

Bring in the change of season 

A season of waiting, of unknowing 

A season of trust and patience.

The clock ticked echoing the cry of my heart

Steady and rhythmic the dance of passage

A passage of bleakness, of rawness

A passage of pain and turmoil.

The smell of freshly baked bread wafted heavenward

Enticing, joyful, mystery unbounded of love

A love of insurmountable, of unconditional

A love of overflowing grace. 

The taste of freshly brewed tea drank in good company

Soothing the soul a symbol of warm embrace

An embrace of calm, of sweet harmony

An embrace of peace.

©️Revdjo 30/11/2020

The church and covid-19

These are strange times that we are living in. Covid-19 has meant all of us having to adjust to new ways of living. Many of us are fearful for loved ones and ourselves. Many of us are anxious about being able to get our every day needs, medicines, food, toilet rolls. Toilet rolls! Who could have predicted the scarcity of toilet rolls. Things we have taken for granted have had to change. No more cups of tea with our friends. No more greeting each other with a friendly hug or a kiss on the cheek. No more driving down to the coast to paddle in the sea. No more holidays abroad for the foreseeable future. For some, no more work. Life has become clinical and regimented. Washing of hands, disinfecting surfaces, the use of hand sanitizer. Keeping two meters apart from those we meet. Self-isolating, shielding ourselves from harm, living in quarantine and morning what has been.

But what about the positives? Time to stop and evaluate our lives. Time to do those things we have been putting off. Time to learn an instrument. Time to read. Time to write that book. Time to potter in the garden. Time to spend more time with the kids and homeschool them. Homeschooling! Who would have thought that would be such a thing for so many of us. Time to just be.

We are use to racing around and filling our time. Many of us are still doing that. Filling our time with social-media and Zoom or Skype conference calls. What do we feel the need to be so busy? 

Church gathering have had to stop, no Sunday service, no weddings, no mid-week meetings. Funeral services are ever evolving and can no longer be attended by everyone. Some by no-one, some by only five, or more with mourners spaced out. The death tolls continue to rise. We await the change in tide.

Life ebbs and flows and the tide will change again. What will be left on the shore after all of this? What will be washed out to sea? What and where is God in all of this?

God is here with us. He hasn’t and won’t leave us. Has he gone quiet? No, he’s making us think. What’s important to us? Or rather, who is important to us? And what is church?

On Sunday 22nd March 2020 I woke up with the word ‘pivot’. A pivotal day in church history. A day that we had been asked by the UK government not to gather as church. This is the day the church realises it is much more than a building. A day that the church stopped and prayed asking for Covid-19 to be eradicated. It was a pivotal day for the UK church. She has had to wake up.

God is calling for our attention he is speaking. If we stop we will hear his voice. 

Spring

Well spring has sprung and time rolls on. Time to think about the new season and what it will hold. I like to blog about happy stuff, things that make me laugh and things that make me think and engage with the creator. Alas, life is full of many ups and down which has meant I haven’t felt much like writing of late. As the writer of Ecclesiastes (chapter 3) tells us, ‘There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot.’ I believe it is my season to write so I will post again soon. 

One question however remains, ‘What is it time for you to do?’

Severn Bridge

Photo with kind permission taken by Paul Day from Gloucestershire Camera club. 

There is something very special about the Second Severn Crossing. When I go across Severn Bridge I am always led to pray. For me it is a spiritual place. I’m not sure if it is because the bridge is so majestic or whether it is because it is the gateway into Wales. Maybe it is the river that runs beneath the bridge? Certainly I always feel at home when I have the River Severn in sight. 

Thoughts and feelings can not always be put into words. Perhaps there are some things better expressed in pictures? This photo struck my soul - to me it speaks of the promise of God. The river of God flows from the thrown room and he has made a bridge across it. 

Reflections

God is reflected in much of what we see and yet we don’t see Him. We fail to notice because we don’t stop long enough to notice. 

Someone said that God had given them a picture of me holding several tokens in my hand. I have been praying about the things that He wants me to do. The messsge seemed to be that I already had lots of things. 

I got in my car to go to the gym the other day. (I will get fit.) and looked in my small compartment to check if I had a pound coin for the locker. There were only three copper coins. I went inside to find a pound and came back to put it in the snall compartment until I had reached the gym. When I opened it up again it was full. I’m sure God was having a laugh at me. I thought I had little but actually I have lots of coins. The coins seemed to have got stuck on a ridge inside. Sometimes we think we are so lacking but yet if only we opened our eyes we would see how truely blessed we are.

Patience in Waiting

So how patient are you? Does you foot start to tap as you wait at the checkout? Life seems so hurried. A full-on non-stop, multi-tasking energy sapping sort of existence seems to be the norm. When did you last sit down and do nothing? And I don't mean when did you last sit down and check your emails, or Facebook, or your Twitter account. When did you last sit down and stopped to think? And I don't mean mean stopping to think about all those things on your to-do list. When did you last sit down, with no agenda, and really thought about those important things in life. Things like friendships and family and faith. When did you last sit down with no agenda?

I must admit to enjoying sitting and reflecting but so often that time gets pushed to one side for something else. There is always so much to do! Over the last year, or so,  I have made a conscious effort to re-priorities that which is important. In particular I have done some things for me. Just for me. So often in the hustle and bustle we can squeeze that all important me-time to the point where it becomes almost non-existent. Is it just me? Or do you relate to what I'm saying?

This year I took the bull by the horns and, in the same week, joined a community choir and started a course in improv. By impov I mean - improvised acting. Making it up as you go along - if you will. I like meeting new people. I will talk to anyone but put me in a largish group where I don't know anyone and I am well and truly out of my comfort zone! But I did it. I survived. I made some new friends and I have learnt some new techniques. Most of all I have smiled from ear-to-ear and I have laughed, and laughed, and laughed! I love to sing it is so good for the soul, but I will let you into a secret, I hate to sing on my own. Well, singing on my own when there is no one around bar the cats is fine but definitely not to an audience. I have done it occasionally and am fine when I don't think about it but it is really out of my zone. Performing improv can be a bit scary but the fun factor of it takes over.

Anyway, I digress...   We can get even more caught up in the rushing around as we prepare for Christmas but I would encourage you to take some time out, just for you. To sit and to think about what is important. Where is God in the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations? And where are you? Are you to busy rushing around to enjoy life? Have you got your priorities and life balance right? Does something need to change? Is it time to re-priorities? When was the last time you fed your own soul with things that you enjoyed? When did you last laugh out-loud big belly laughs until the tears ran down your face? 

In the waiting of Advent may you find those things that bring you joy that can't be wrapped up in a box.