Mouldering leaves

Weeks ago, the leaves drifted and dropped from the trees, many landing on the tarmac driveway. Much has been happening in my life lately, and it was only today that I thought I might bag a few to compost.

I wielded the heavy outdoor brush, pushing and pulling, shoving and dragging, and partially cleared about 10 square feet of driveway. Heavy rains have saturated the leaves, making them heavy and sticking them to the ground. In under half an hour, I had over-filled a black (sorry, plastic…) bag with so many leaves I could barely lift it.

Things drift into our lives. They drop from messy situations, fly from difficult encounters, blow down during the storms that periodically hit us all. We can tidy them up, bag them and wait for them to decompose into rich fertiliser to inform our lives. Or we can leave them to lie, mouldering and growing heavier.

Jesus invites us to bring our mouldering leaves to him. He advises us to focus our eyes on him, not on circumstances, not on ourselves, not on others. It is in the focusing on him that we are relieved and our burdens are lightened.

The theory is divine. The practicing of it is difficult, oh, so difficult.

That’s why he gives us his Spirit, to help us. Jesus did it all, because of his love. That’s the kind of love I want to grow in my life. That is the real gift of Christmas. His love, in us, with us, for us. All of us.

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.

Blood is Thicker than Water

They say that blood is thicker than water. Just back from a regular blood test to ensure mine isn’t too thick, which can and has caused problems in the past. So grateful for the NHS.

One of the signs that Jesus was really dead was that the spear thrust into his side, while he still hung on the cross, caused an emission of blood and water which had separated. I understand this is a sign that a body sustains life no longer.

Jesus did die. Yet he lives again: I know that because without his strength sustaining me, there are many situations in my life which would cause me to buckle. He reminds me that he is there, alongside, holding the reins, and all I need do is accept his gifts of life, love, peace and joy, and relish the journey.

The separation of his blood at his death shows that Jesus was, indeed, human like us. The presence of him, by his Spirit, in my daily life shows me that he is, indeed divine. So glad that we are all part of his family. Blood is thicker than water.

The old rugged cross

The old rugged cross. Jesus hung on an ugly tree and suffered the worst execution men could dream up. And yet, through that act of ugliness and brutality emerged beauty and redemption and life everlasting.

What was unspeakably horrible, in the hands of our loving heavenly Father, became a touchstone with the divine, a doorway through which we can enter into that precious, amazing relationship which the Trinity longed for. 

This has been a week of shocking terror, a week in which sin broke through in all its despicability. My mind cannot fathom how God will redeem what was lost, but I believe it is exactly what he will do as we cry out to him.

As Tony preached this morning, God loved the world so much he gave his only, beloved son. He wanted to rescue us from the power of darkness, and the light of the world has broken through. 

May the fragrance of Jesus remind us of his love and may his light transform our despair and fill us with hope as we trust in him.