Maranatha!

The sun is out and the conservatory is warm! Spring is here, and so is my birthday. I thank God for the blessing of life, for the gift of a wonderful husband, children, family and friends, for drawing the boundaries for me in very pleasant places. I thank him for the joy of church family, the blessing of his presence in my life and for his incredible patience with my sometimes chaotic walk with him. I am excited for the next chapters.

Life is a gift, though for so many today it may not feel like one. Thinking about and praying for all those in the firing lines of super powers and tin-pot dictators, whose suffering is unimaginable and heart-breaking. We need the Prince of Peace now more than ever.

Praying he comes in our hearts, in our churches, in our communities, in our countries, today, in new and maybe surprising ways. Keeping my eyes peeled. Maranatha!

Friends come and friends go ...

Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family. (Proverbs 18:24, The Message)

This is my oldest friend. She has been with me since I was about 8 or 10 years old and travelled the world with me, now living behind the couch in Scotland. We were separated for five years when I was first married, because I couldn’t afford the air fare to get her here from California. Then, returning to Scotland one January in days when planes were not always full, we audaciously carried her on without having purchased her seat. A helpful air hostess put her in a closet on board, and my cello and I were reunited at last.

I don’t play my cello often enough, and when I do, I recognise that I have slipped since the days of daily practice. Yet still much of it comes back to me and I soon get lost in the resonance and beauty of her sonorous voice. 

I of course value my human friends above my cello, but my cello has been with me singing her heart out in great orchestras playing some wonderful music, in small string quartets and in occasional solo spots. She has felt the nervous perspiration on my fingers at times and responded to my sorrowful or joyous heartbeat other times. 

When words fail, there is nothing like my cello.

Music is a gift. A universal gift for which I am grateful.

Maranatha!

An unexpected gift arrived this morning in the post. Unexpected, unnecessary (because we love the senders even without the gift...) but the spot-on matching of its contents with our preferences made me smile. These dear friends know our weakness – dark Belgian (or Swiss, or ...) chocolate. Thank you, Ivan and Ksenia!!

At this time of year we remember an unexpected gift that arrived one night in a manger. I say unexpected, but actually the Jewish people had long expected a Saviour but were looking in a different place – a palace – and were expecting a more conventional King. 

Jesus is God’s gift to us, born in a manger 2,000 years ago, and born in our hearts often in unexpected ways, at unexpected times. 

His coming, though, is absolutely necessary for peace to reign on earth, in you and me, and goodwill to inspire women and men. At this time of turmoil in the world and encroaching darkness, when many of us lead lives of stress and anxiety, the cry goes up again. Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace.

Red Squirrel Alert

Hanging out the washing, I was startled by a light thump and rustle in the autumn leaves behind me and turned. There, just a metre away from me, a red squirrel paused briefly and then leapt away round the house and into the vegetable garden.

What a gift, to see this increasingly rare rodent right there in our garden. We knew they lived in the woods nearby, but have never seen any in our garden. Certainly not so close.

Nature has a way of surprising us with sudden flashes of beauty, and this was one such unexpected gift. My prayer now is that the cats don’t find this little gift as it goes about getting ready for the winter to come.

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it. May we take better care of it than we are doing right now.

Intersections

Embrace the day and make the most of it.

Jamie arrived here yesterday bearing a gift from Mhairi, which she had schemed and planned for ages. Knowing our propensity for raising flags when we have visitors from various places in the world, she had a picture taken at Robbie’s wedding of our growing ‘immediate’ family, posing as if we were Victorians. Then she had it printed on a flag, ready for our next family gathering.

One or two faces look as if they might break into a laugh but by and large, we look suitably solemn and serious. And perhaps a bit mad.

It is priceless. With some family members living thousands of miles away, and my 90-year-old mother having flown from LA to Scotland for the wedding, I know that this complete a gathering may never happen again. 

And if it does, time will have altered our appearances. A little less hair; a few more wrinkles. 

Our roads have diverged, and our journeys are taking us in a variety of geographical directions, but our hearts are still entwined and our relationships are strong. In this day of instant electronic communication, there’s really no excuse to let distance separate us from those we love.

This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Wise words from Scripture. 

Each day is to be treasured for the moments of joy it holds.

May your day be filled with joyful moments. Look for them. And be thankful.

You've got to laugh

One thing I learned from my parents was to keep things in perspective, and from that you are freed to be able to laugh at things which maybe aren’t so funny otherwise. Difficult times, awkward situations, embarrassing moments, all can provide laughter down the years.

I used to hear them laughing at the breakfast table when I woke up in the morning, even in the last few years when health issues were impinging on the quality of their lives. They reminisced, shared stories – probably the same stories they’d shared for years, but they still brought a chuckle or a guffaw.

Life is such a gift. We are so blessed to have breath in our bodies. I know that might sound puerile and easy to say when we live comfortably. From the viewpoint of many hard-pressed people round the world, it may not seem quite like that. And yet, people strive and struggle to achieve standards which they value, revealing their recognition that life is a gift worth fighting for.

Eternal life is also a gift, which Jesus reckoned was worth his dying for so that we could receive it. 

We are about to celebrate his birth. Even that was so selfless and loving – to leave behind the glory of heaven and be humbled as a man. 

It’s all very serious, and full of mystery and suffering and sorrow, but through it all, I can hear God laugh. Laugh with us, like my parents sitting at the breakfast table, reminiscing. Our Father so yearns for us to share his joy.

Today, make sure you find time to laugh. To see the funny side of situations which aren’t in themselves very funny. To accept the life that Jesus gifts to each of us, eternal life. 

The joy of the Lord is your strength.