Tuesday 12 May 2015

The 27 Minutes on Pause

Modern technology is a wonder - I love technology and gadgets.  New technology is perhaps my weakness but yes I have resisted the Apple Watch!  However  my children live in a world long since moved on from VHS and the mad dash to get a cuppa during the adverts.  They live in a world where television can be paused and adverts are to be fast forwarded except in the run up to Christmas or birthdays.  This week was no different - the television paused whilst breakfast was organised and 27 minutes later the children returned to the box.  They watched the end of their programme and the next programme, still 27 minutes behind the rest of the street.  

And that made me wonder how many of us live our lives somewhere behind the pace, not realising that actually the rest of the world is 27 minutes ahead of us (so to speak).  We are reluctant to embrace the world as it is and having hit the pause button, we are now living in our time, wondering why the world has stopped making sense.  No matter how hard we try to catch up we never seem to make up those 27 minutes, and those who live 27 minutes ahead seem alien, and always grumpy with us because we are always trying to drag them back in some way.  

For some it is the world of politics where some of us are trying to understand those results and wonder how we missed the signs.  For some it is the loss of loved one and for a while the world stopped for us - and although we are functioning again, we still haven't caught up to real time, living a little off the pace wondering why life doesn't add up.  For some it was that cruel word that damaged our self-esteem and we paused, never feeling that confident again.  .  More of us live our lives 27 minutes behind others than we realise - just for some the pause lasted a lot longer, and potentially, sadly some never push play again, permanently stuck in one place.  

Many believe the Church is stuck on pause, and yes the Church isn't necessarily the most up to date institution.  But I want to reassure you that the Church is quickly learning how to fast forward the adverts and is catching up - locally and nationally.  We aren't there yet but we are working on it, and Church, definitely in Blantyre Old, but also around the country there is much that is happening that is adventurous, forward thinking, challenging, and life enhancing.  You might think we are about Sunday best, prejudice and judgement, but actually the Jesus we follow is about community, love, grace and hope.  Jesus lived so far into the future that all of us are catching up with him! 

But as the Scriptures say,
“No one has ever seen,
no one has ever heard,
no one has ever imagined
what God has prepared for those who love him.”
But God has shown us these things through the Spirit. (1st Corinthians 2:9-10)

Is your life on pause or do you feel you are still trying to catch up?  For the television we push the power button and the television jumps back to real time.  If we push the power button of God, we could simply end up in the right place at the right time.  Regardless of what caused your "27 minute pause" - God can heal the time lost, and bring you to a time that is right for you - because he loves you and he wants you to enjoy life in all its fullness which is found when we live in the present, not the past nor the future but the present.  And remember all time is in God's hands. Another famous Scripture about time - there is such a thing as the right time.  (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV)
There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:
    a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
    a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
    a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
    a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
    a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
    a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
    a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

Blessings,

Sarah