Worship and waffles

What do waffles and worship have in common, besides the alliteration? No obvious synergy there, but just back from my first taste of the combination and I can confirm that it is a winner.

Taste and see that the Lord is good. I have tasted. The worship was sensitive and profound, deep and meaningful. Within the worship set, we were invited forward to share bread and wine at the Lord’s table. Afterwards, we queued to share waffles and coffee, laughter and news.

The Lord works in mysterious ways. Waffles and worship. Who’d have thought?

Wake up and Smell the Coffee

Wake up and smell the coffee.

Thank goodness it’s no longer just Nescafe here in Scotland. I like my coffee strong and black, but there are certainly a lot of other options available today to satisfy every taste. Does it wake me up in the morning? Not sure, but it sure can keep me awake at night!

On a glorious day like today, I’m very aware of the sounds of spring: I heard my first Cuckoo this morning, and a hungry blackbird serenaded me as I dug over a patch of garden. I also notice the fragrance of spring. The coconutty scent of gorse and broom; the freshly cut lawn smell; the variety of pleasant fragrances from spring flowers.

When I manage to be very attentive, I sometimes catch a whiff of the fragrance of Jesus. In the midst of an unhappy situation, there may be a sudden gesture of kindness which is sourced in the divine. 

Usually, though, I’m not so attentive, but then I can be blindsided by the aroma of Jesus, transforming the atmosphere. I caught a sniff of Jesus this morning during a conversation with someone who has no faith in him. But the love and compassion for another revealed that the Lord has faith in him.

Love. As the song declares, it’s all around us, perceptible through all of our senses.

So wake up and smell the Lord. And smile.

Shelter

Temperatures could dip below zero tonight, a danger to the tender blossom opening on trees, a danger to dahlias and other flowers expecting a warmer welcome in May. Mary recommends placing a plant pot over the seedlings to protect them – I just did it so I don’t forget as the day gets busy.

Circumstances in life sometimes take a sudden dip. Everything seems to be going fine, and then there is a problem, a challenge, a disappointment or a heartbreak. ‘You are my hiding place’ I whisper to Jesus when I face a situation for which I feel ill-equipped. He is my plant pot. He is enough.

Easter Eggs

The Lindt Easter egg looks beautiful. Wrapped in gold foil, nestled above small red Lindor eggs, a moulded plastic cover holds all in place inside an outer cardboard wrap. (This isn’t going to be a rant about the environmental impact of all our Easter egg packaging, though it does make my heart sag…)

The egg looks lovely. I know it will taste delicious, from past experience. But until I open the box, extract the packaging and unwrap the egg, and actually bite into it … it’s all theory, memory, probability.

The cross does not look lovely. It’s an instrument of torture of the most cruel and barbaric kind. But the man who hung there … Jesus, who triumphed over death and rose from the grave … he is beautiful. I can look at the story, and see how beautiful his love and grace and mercy are, but unless I engage with him, unless I enter into the intimate relationship he invites me into, unless I confess that he is Lord … it’s all theory. A nice story, but one without impact on my life.

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Better even than the Lindt Easter egg.

Bread

Does anything evoke well-being as much as the smell of homemade bread? I was blessed to receive a bread-maker for Christmas. Our house is too cold for bread to rise in the normal way, but this bread-maker produces delicious results effortlessly.

We have noticed that the bread is so filling, we eat less than commercially produced products.

Jesus is the bread of life, fragrant and satisfying. His word feeds us. We don’t need much, just enough to chew over.

Road Closed. Diversion

An early dental appointment had me joining the rush hour traffic into Aberdeen this morning. On final approach, I encountered a Diversion sign and found myself headed south instead of east. Never confident finding my way around the ancient, winding streets of Aberdeen, I prayed for help. A diversion sign appeared – not supernaturally but in metal at the side of the road, guiding me back to the street I’d had to leave. God was a step ahead of me, even in the mundane.

Walking in faith entails trusting God to guide me when the road ahead is blocked. Trusting God to guide me when new challenges present themselves. Trusting. Faith, not fear.

I lift my eyes to the hills and am reminded that my help is in Jesus. I need no other advocate.

DIY

Apparently, in the wider world, Easter weekend is now known as DIY weekend. Do it yourself.

The irony is inescapable. Jesus did it all, because we can’t do it ourselves.