Summertime

Summertime. Gathered in the sun, in the Son. Sharing cake; sharing concerns; sharing joys. United in heart; united in mind; united in Spirit. 

Some of us eventually had to find shade. Too much sun and we’d be burned. Too much Son: impossible. 

We were a small group, but the others were in our hearts. We were a small group, but the concerns and troubles of the others were on our lips. We were a small group, but the chatter was noisy and the laughter never far away.

Next time we’ll start a study encouraging us and teaching us how to listen more effectively to God. If we can’t hear him, how can we know him? Next time we’ll open our Bibles. Next time we probably won’t eat so much cake and scones – apologies to those who missed the feast this morning!

God is good. In rain and in sunshine, he is good. 

He is especially good in sunshine.

Sunshine or Shade?

Standing in the shade of a building this morning, I shivered and complained of the cold. Don responded that it was a beautiful day.

It is. He is right. The sun is out, doing its best to dispel the cold from its wintry distance. The birds are singing. The bulbs are up and the snowdrops are out and spring is on its way. 

It is so easy to complain of one thing and thereby miss the blessing of something else. Mea culpa. 

Focus. It’s no good focusing on what I don’t like because then I miss the wider picture and the blessings that go with it. 

The news is filled with dismal stories from round the world, but I’ve just been reading about how people are like grass, which withers and dies in the blink of an eye. Powerful people who wreak havoc across the nations will not be around forever. 

I don’t want to focus on situations which steal my peace and rob me of my joy. I don’t want to ignore them either, because I believe we are all to seek justice for the vulnerable and oppressed. One way to do that is to bring them before God, the Sovereign Lord who comes with power.  

Believing in the power of prayer, I have hope that things can change. 

The other thing I read in this Isaiah 40 passage is that those who have good news need to get out and share it. Jesus is good news. 

The good news of Jesus puts everything else into the shivery shade.