The Parched are all around us

Today I had the privilege of sitting in reception at my local food bank for two hours. A woman appeared as soon as we opened, handed over her voucher and gratefully accepted a coffee and a chair while she waited for things to be gathered together for her. Her address? A women’s refuge.

A local refuge from domestic violence and brutality. A haven. A shelter. A roof over the head, but no food in the cupboard and no money in the purse.

I think of Jesus asking a woman for a drink from the well. He was thirsty and had no drinking cup. She did. He knew her situation. A sequence of husbands, and now a live-in who was not a husband. 

Call him, Jesus said. I’ve got plenty of living water to go round. 

No judgment or sermonising. Pure compassion. Compassion for the people beside him. The people who were stumbling through life, dry and thirsty as if in a desert. The well was full of fresh water but it did not satisfy. That which Jesus could give, he gave. Call him, he said. Call the whole village.

Wherever we are, we are in the mission field. Parched people are everywhere. The woman went away with bags of food but what she needed most was the living water. 

Jesus was always ready to offer that restoring drink. Am I?

Dawn is Breaking

Up before the sun this morning. Which sounds more impressive than it is at this time of year in Scotland. 

The dawn was breaking – that grey prelude to the day, at 7 when I stood in my prayer alcove and surveyed the familiar fields. I noticed that though the sun had not yet risen, the light showing on the tree trunks was lighter on the side facing east than on the other side. Gradually, though, the difference disappeared and the trunks were equally bathed in light.

But not every part. There are pockets of darkness in the intertwining trunks and branches, pockets which may well never see the light of day at all. In those pockets, one imagines, reside many nefarious creatures whose legless or alternatively many-legged forms writhe and scurry into deeper darkness as the dawn breaks. 

Jesus said that whatever is hidden will one day be revealed. There will come a day when the darkness will not be able to hide anything, when all will be revealed in the light of the glory of the coming King. That is a day to be joyfully anticipated, but in the meantime we are here for a purpose. We are here to let our light, the light of Christ within us, shine before others so they can see God and give him the glory.

Yesterday I had the privilege of serving in the local food bank for a couple of hours. It’s a job which can be acutely boring as not that many people come in. But the last two times I have had divine appointments with people who have sunk into the dark crevasses of life and are needing a helping hand out of them. A couple of guys winning the battle against drug dependency, and a guy whose life was derailed by his wife’s death and his subsequent sinking into alcohol. My prayer is that as they encountered us in the food bank, they were drawn more fully away from the strong temptations that may haunt them for life, drawn out of the dark and into the light.

May God bless all those whose life experiences have plunged them into pits of despair which led them to seek solace wherever they could. And may God bless us with generosity of spirit and depth of compassion, fuelled by the Holy Spirit, that we may be a blessing to whoever we encounter today.

So, it’s not yet 8 am and I am spiritually fed and watered and ready for whatever or whoever this day brings my way. So glad I can go into the day with Jesus. God bless you.

Walking With ...

As the meeting ended last night, one elder offered to walk another one home. Two elders asked another for a lift. 

We were built to accompany each other. To keep one another safe. To help carry one another when the journey is hard or long. 

I love the story of the disciples trudging in dejection towards Emmaus on the first Easter day. Some of their friends were claiming that Jesus had risen from the dead, but they knew what crucifixion was and knew that there was no way he could be alive again. A mysterious stranger joined them and they had a deep discussion as they carried on to their destination, finally inviting the stranger in to stay with them. It was as he broke the bread and thanked God for the food that Jesus was recognised. Jesus was alive. He had overturned the ‘no way’ and made a way. Jesus had walked with them on the lonely, hard road, sharing truths and challenging their ideas. They hadn’t recognised him.

My mother walked with me through all my growing up years – actually, she’s walked with me metaphorically all my life. What a privilege it is now to walk the hard road with her as she trudges through her 90’s. What a blessing Skype and the internet are for easing communication and enabling stewardship of her resources even from a distance. 

During these last few difficult months of transition I’ve been very aware of the presence of Jesus, whispering encouragement and bringing peace and giving guidance. I wouldn’t say I’ve been very creative or profound but I have felt the comfort and love of our Saviour and known that he is on the lonely road with Mom and me. 

I’ve also been privileged to be aware of the physical presence and willing spirits of a few special people gathered round Mom and me on that road – Mhairi, Shirley, Mark and Son. A little further out and there are others, willing to help in a practical way where they can. Sandi, Jeb, Anne, others. And on the phone, sending cards, gifts and prayers are Don, Jamie & Chrisie, Robbie & Emma, Doug & Joey (and even wee Flick). All trudging the path with us.

Beyond that, I’ve been overwhelmed by the spiritual support of a cohort of Christian family from round the world holding Mom in prayer as she has adjusted to new circumstances. God is so good. There is nothing more precious than the family of God walking each other home, home to where there are no more tears, no more sorrow, no more separations, no more pain. 

No airports in heaven. It’s gonna be great. 

Meanwhile, that lonely path is more crowded with loving people than you might imagine. Look around and count your blessings. And see where you can join someone on their lonely path today. That’s what I’m going to do. On Food Bank duty today.