God loves you!

Happy Easter!  Christ is Risen.  He is risen indeed! Hallelujah.

What follows is the reflection from today’s 10am service, and the photo is from the 11am service where people were invited as they felt able to add their name to the cross, recognising all that the Lord Jesus did, achieved and offers.

I wish we believed it.
I wish we could be convinced.
I wish we trusted.
Lord I believe, help my unbelief.

What does this day really mean to you?  Deep down?  What is it’s significance?
For a moment I want you to sit with this.  Don’t shy away from it.  What does this day mean to you…

Over this long week we have been building up to Good Friday, knowing that Jesus would be crucified for us. A cruel death.  Jesus suffered.  He was beaten. He was mocked.  He was whipped.  He was betrayed.  Jesus died broken, bruised, and betrayed.  The one whose hands flung stars into space now has his hands bound and nailed to a cross.  An instrument of death.

The death of Jesus is significant.  The death of Jesus is a miracle.  It is a miracle of love and mercy, of hope and dignity, of spiritual warfare and eternity.  It is not an empty gesture.  It’s not a magic trick.  It’s not special effects.  At the last he cried ‘it is finished’ and he breathed his last.  Jesus died. The Son of God died.  And he died because he loves you, he loves me, he loves the world.  I have been really struck by the line Paul wrote – we preach Christ crucified.

Today is significant because today God wins over the prince of this world, the Devil, Satan, the fallen angel – whatever name you give him.  Today is significant because the sacrifice made has allowed a fresh start, a new covenant, a new beginning.  Jesus said – It is finished – and today begins something new.
Over Easter there are two miracles – the first is that the Son of God died for us all that we might be know God’s love and mercy.  The second is that he rose from the dead, defeating the curse that Adam and Eve brought upon the world.

So at this table we celebrate God’s love and mercy, God’s power over life and trust in a new beginning, a fresh start, an eternal existence in the Kingdom of God.

You are loved by God almighty.
You are forgiven by God almighty, even for killing Jesus – Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.
God loves you so much, no matter who you are or what you have done.

You have a fresh start, a new beginning.
You don’t have to live in the shadow of your failure – just ask Peter.
You don’t have to be shaped by the culture of this world – your identity is secure in God.
You don’t have to be alone – you are a child of God.

If you are going to embrace the risen Christ, then embrace yourself.  Love yourself.  Your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, you are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Through Christ you are saved.  We celebrate today because he is risen, and life is more than the daily grind and pleasing people.

As a brother or sister of Christ, you have a place in the family of God.  Too often we shy away, we blame others for our circumstances, we lack confidence, we fear rather than love.  Let’s embrace Christ, knowing that all things lie within his grasp, and step out in faith.  If we believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, what is there he cannot do?  We might not understand, and we can’t see everything, but life continues with him, even if we lose it here.

If the people keep quiet the very stones will cry out.  Be loud and proud this Easter.  God loves you so much, and he has it all, even death is defeated.

For God so loved the world that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.

Let’s celebrate, and as we gather at his table, we gather in joy and with respect.  We last gathered here when the world was darker, and the air loaded with tension.  Today we gather in wonder and amazement, but in faith that our God is alive and the victor over all.   Amen.

Get Preparing - this is not a one sided event!

Today is Holy Saturday.
A day when we hover between despair and hope,
                 between darkness and light,
                               between fear and confidence
                                    between death and life.

It is a day we miss out - quite often in Holy Week.

We mark the other days, but Saturday is like a non-day.

Yet it is day of watching and waiting.
          It is a day of praying and pleading.
                It is a day of trusting.

Today the heavens are silent.
               But God’s word speaks.
His word reminds us that this is not a day to fear, but a day to embrace.
It is a valuable day in the grand scheme of things.
It is a not a day to be wasted or set aside in anticipation of something else.
It is a day of preparation. It is a day of rest.  It is a day of readiness, for soon the heavens will be silent no more. We must prepare ourselves to meet our risen Lord.

Jesus did not die for himself.  He died for you and for me.
Let us prepare and be ready.

Reflect on these words from Hosea 6:1-3(NIV)
“Come, let us return to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us,
he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.
After two days he will revive us,
on the third day he will restore us,
that we may live in his presence.
Let us acknowledge the Lord;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth.”

May God bless you in your waiting, and heal you in his love. Amen.

In mourning

Jesus was an ordinary human being, there was nothing about him that naturally attracted people to him except the message he preached and the miracles he did.  Yet he caused enough of a stir to have people hate or fear him to want him removed permanently and in a way that would crush any chance of a revival or rebellion.

We know that Jesus was more than an ordinary human being.  He was and is the Son of God.  Nevertheless to the people on the street he was amazing, for some most definitely a prophet, for others just a man, for others the Son of God.

And then he dies…in a way so shameful that he is cursed according to Jewish tradition.  

And God mourns.  And nature mourns with him.

Cast your mind back to his birth.
A star so significant lights the sky that wise men from a different country spot it and follow it.
Angels fill the skies above the fields and the shepherds witness heaven glorifying the birth of Jesus.
Glory to God in the Highest and peace on earth to all mankind.
God celebrated.

But now God mourns, and his creation mourns with him.

Where the skies previously danced with angels, the sun stops shining.
The eclipse brings darkness of three hours.
In a superstitious climate, where people worshipped the moon and the sun this would have scared people.
Creation mourns the death of their creator.

The curtain in the Temple tears in two as Jesus breathes his last.
The Temple was believed to be the point where heaven touches earth or indeed earth touches heaven. It was sacred ground.  And for the curtain to tear, quite literally the fabric of the Jewish faith was torn in two.  Everything that they knew about God, the Holy of Holies, atonement and sacrifice, was rewritten in a moment.
God mourns the death of his child.

And yet even in that moment the centurion recognises and praises God.
Not an Israelite but a Roman.  Not a Jew but a Gentile.
Once again, it is not the righteous or religious who see God’s son first, but a centurion like wise men from the east or lowly shepherds in a field.
Even in death, there is life.

Now the choice is ours – do we beat our breasts and walk away confused by the darkness, by the events before us, or do we like those who knew him and the women wait for God?

Even when God appears defeated he is victorious.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is his body, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  Hebrews 10:19

Despite our grief and sorrow, we know that God has it all in hand.  He trusts Jesus, and Jesus knows God will glorify him and keep his word.  There is a purpose and a plan.  This death is not ordinary.  And because God is in it there is hope, faith and love.

To look forward we need to look back…

Isaiah 52:13-53:13
I have included some verses but if you can look it up (just google it if you don’t have a Bible to hand).  

See, my servant will act wisely;
    he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
Just as there were many who were appalled at him –
    his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being
    and his form marred beyond human likeness –

 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed…

 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
    and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
    and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
    and made intercession for the transgressors.

Jesus cried at the last – It is finished.
And if it is finished then something new is about to begin.
Stop by Easter Sunday and find out more – either on the blog or in a church near you. I can almost guarantee it will get a mention this Sunday!
God bless you, and thank you for joining me this Holy Week.
Love Sarah

Status is irrelevant in God’s kingdom...

In a world that is often so competitive, our God is refreshingly different. The desire to be dominant or a leader burns bright in many people, and often their desire overwhelms others.  We all know the ones who might not be the CEO or the boss of our institution or organisation, but they are the boss. Everyone defers to them in some way, whether reluctantly or not.  They maybe hold the keys to that special cupboard, run the kitchen or canteen with an iron fist or simply know everything and use that as capital.  At the other end of the scale they might be Sir Alan Sugar types with the power to say you are fired.

Yet God operates in such a different way. Holy Week is our yearly reminder, our focal point if you wish, on this.  This week we are reminded that the first shall be last and the last shall be first.  We are reminded that we for life to happen, death must occur.  And that death isn’t of just anybody, but of God’s Son.

God was willing to give his very own Son, not only to live our lives but to die in such shaming conditions because he loves us.  Greater love has no man than he lay down his lives for his friends.  Jesus gave his life so that we might all live.  The prophet Isaiah wrote in the readings we had on Tuesday night of Holy Week:

It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
    to restore the tribes of Jacob
    and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
    that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.’

For God so loved the world he gave his one and only Son that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.

We know that this week, the events tomorrow in particular should inspire awe within us, overwhelm us with the magnitude of God’s love for us, and bring us to our knees in repentance, turning away from all that is not of God.   The events of this week should give us such a spiritual high, we don’t come back down til Pentecost, when we get another influx of God’s spirit, and we truly burst with energy.

But somehow that doesn’t happen.  God invites us to join him as he watches his Son take this journey to cross, and it begins with an invitation to allow Jesus to wash your feet.  We often talk of inviting Jesus into your heart, when actually what he wants to do is wash your feet.

Take a moment and cast your eyes down to your feet.  Don’t worry you don’t have to take your socks and shoes off yet.  Imagine if you will for a moment, that Jesus is before you and he wants to wash your feet.  The Son of God kneels before you with a towel around his waist, a basin in front of him, and goes to lift your foot into the water…

What do you do?  How do you react?
For some you will embrace the moment, such is your relationship with Jesus.
Others will pull back with embarrassment and suddenly Peter’s reaction makes perfect sense.
Others of you are struggling to even imagine Jesus kneeling in front of you.  Perhaps because you know him only a little but wish to know him more. Perhaps because Jesus is still a concept to you and not a reality.  Perhaps because imagining things is not your forte.

Jesus invites us to follow in his footsteps, but the path doesn’t start at the cross, it starts with servanthood.  And it isn’t about being a servant or slave to God, it is about being a servant with God.  Jesus shows us that he doesn’t expect us to be something he isn’t willing to be.  He washes their feet and then serves at the table.  To host the Passover was a honour, a privilege and so Jesus moves from a position of servant, and a footwashing servant was right down at the bottom of servant positions, to hosting the meal, albeit in a guest room.

God has the right to sit at the top of the table and the bottom of the table.  But once again he invites us all to sit at the table with him, and he serves them all, even Judas who he knows will betray him.

Whether we are CEOs or big shot lawyers, whether we are community workers or picking up the litter, whether we are caregivers or unemployed, whether we are super educated or barely literate, we are called to be servants and we are called to share at the Masters table.  There is no status in God’s kingdom – even for God’s Son.

As we move forward towards Good Friday with its darkness and light, sorrow and joy, hope and despair, we see it through resurrection eyes.  But remember, as Paul said we preach a crucified Christ and Jesus told us we must pick up our cross and follow him.  We cannot avoid Good Friday, but we can know God’s presence and invitation to be a part of Holy Week, the week that changed the world.  You, whoever you are, are important enough to God that he was willing to die for you.  And in doing so, created all of us equal in the sight of God.  Amen and thanks be to God.

Readings: Exodus 12:1-14

Psalm 116:1,10-19

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 

A Different Corner

My close companions abhor me, and those whom I love have turned against me.  Job 19:19

The song lyric: “Turn a different corner and we never would have met” is like an ear worm to me (and sorry if I just made it yours and to save you googling it, it’s from George Michael, A Different Corner).  I am a great believer in God-incidences, and being in the right place at the right time.  Life is full of what if moments, and for some the concept of parallel universes is a genuine possibility.  What if I walked rather than take the car?  What if I had been accepted at Glasgow University?  Where would I be today?

Today we read of the encounter between Jesus and Judas where it is blatantly obvious to Jesus what Judas will do.  The others seem somewhat ignorant of it and quite surprised in the end, so Judas wasn’t one to wear his heart on his sleeve.   And it is easy to hate Judas here but let’s just pause for a moment.  Rewind the conversation and ponder.

If we had been Jesus would we not have been tempted to change course?  Would we have not at least attempted to persuade Judas not to do it?  Would we have taken evasive action or arranged a relocation of Judas in some way?  Turn a different corner and Judas might have ended up converted rather than dead by his own hand.

There are times when we don’t agree with the path we are on. Sometimes we have ended up on it by our own hand, but often we are influenced, shaped, directed by forces outwith our control.  Sometimes God calls us to people and places that make us uncomfortable, that unsettle us in some way, outside our comfort zone.  We are called to work with a new minister or colleague, welcome a new member of the family through marriage, take on a new role or support another rather than lead, through circumstances not ours to control. What do we do in those circumstances?  What is your reaction?  Look for a different corner or embrace it?

Jesus knew what Judas was about to do and did nothing to stop it.  Yet, Jesus could have and we know from the temptations in the wilderness, to his grief in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus could have stepped away.  But he doesn’t because he knows that ultimately God has a plan and that plan will be worth the hardship, the shame, the betrayal, the pain and even death itself.

The author of Hebrews sums it up wonderfully, and you can apply this to Christ as well as to us when he writes:  So let us run the race that is before us and never give up.  

Jesus knew the joy of God, and that joy of God is something that can help us run the race, get through the darkest moments and look beyond the here and now to the eternal future.  “Think about Jesus’ example.  He held on while wicked people were doing evil things to him.  So do not get tired and stop trying.”

Often we are not called to turn a different corner, no matter how we much pray for that to happen. Sometimes, maybe most of the time, we are called to embrace the track we are on and run the race without giving up.  And that is hard, because we’d rather believe the grass is greener on the other side, that this route cannot be for us.

Imagine if Jesus had turned a different corner – our faith would be very different.  As we go through Holy Week, and draw ever closer to Good Friday, let’s thank the Lord that he ran the race and did not quit.

For ourselves, has looking for a different path, a different race track, meant that you haven’t ran well the race that is yours?  Is time for you to have God help you run your race, even if it includes sorrow, suffering and hardship?  Remember with God none of these will have the last word, even if we cannot comprehend it or make sense of it now.  And the finish line will be a celebration moment for us all, ultimately because Jesus didn’t quit.

‘We are surrounded by a great cloud of people who lives tell us what faith means.’ 
Remember them.  Remember Him.  Don’t quit.
God bless.



Collect: Almighty God, your Son Jesus Christ withdrew to the quietness of Bethany to prepare himself for his passion.  In the fellowship of his suffering, strengthen us to be more than conquerors in our trials and temptations, that whether betrayed by friends or hurt by enemies, we may remain steadfast in our faith unto the end through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 70
Hebrews 12:1-3
John 13:21-32

Tuesday: We Need Death

The word of God is alive and active.  It cuts more keenly than any two edged sword.  Hebrews 4:12

So often in Holy Week we hurry to the resurrection, and yet in order to truly greet the risen Christ, we must first embrace death.  In part, yes our physical death, in that we should not fear it for we are eternal people.  Apparently more people are scared of spiders than of death, but perhaps that speaks more to our human sense of immortality until the moment our mortality is made real to us.  But in Holy Week there is no escaping death.  Without death there is no life.  Without sorrow there is no joy to follow in the morning.  We live in a world where we attempt to avoid decay and death, just ask the plastic surgeons or the medical charlatans who are as real today as those who peddled elixirs in the wild west.

Jesus speaks openly of his death on numerous occasions, and relates it in today’s reading to the grain of wheat that falls, in order that many seeds can be made.  If the grain of wheat doesn’t die, then life cannot come.  Jesus’ death enables all people to come to him, and through him, the way, the truth and the life to the Father, Mother, God of us all.  And yet it goes against anything we can truly comprehend, except if we have ever been in the situation of giving up our life for another.  Paul knows this and reminds the people in Corinth and us today that we preach a crucified Christ which causes Jews to stumble and is foolishness to non-Jews.

Notice what he says – we preach a crucified Christ.  Not we preach a risen Christ or resurrected Christ but a crucified Christ.

Death plays a central role in Holy Week and to circumvent by moving from the celebration and expectations of Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday without stopping at Good Friday is to lose something so significant, that words can’t express it fully.  Absolutely, we are people of the resurrection, but to be resurrected we need to die first.  Not literally of course, but as Jesus said:  we need to pick up our cross and follow him.

Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be a light for all nations to show people all over the world the way to be saved.  For Jesus, it was in the moment of death, lifted up on the cross that he brought about life for all people, Jew and Gentile, for you and me.  Absolutely, we need the resurrection, but we also need to bow at the foot of the cross, and recognise that it is in his death there is life.

Remember this, especially when it does feel dark and dangerous,
‘The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.’ John 1:5

What are your thoughts, fears and hopes when it comes to death?  How does knowing that in death is life encourage or inspire you?  How might that help you truly welcome the risen Christ?

Collect/Prayer:  Almighty God, you Son Jesus Christ taught the people the way of righteousness and judgement.  Grant us a ready mind and willing spirit to learn from him all that you would teach us, and keep us watchful for his coming and diligent in his work; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Isaiah 49:1-7
Psalm 71:1-14
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
John 12:20-36

Monday: Are you like Judas or Mary?

One thing I ask of the Lord, it is the one thing I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.
Psalm 27:4

There is such a clash of old and new in the story that we share from the Gospels today, a clash made obvious in the reading from Hebrews.  At first we can easily see the human perspective.  Whatever Judas’ motives, or rather regardless of how pure they might have been, he said what many of us would say today.  Especially those from a ‘waste not, want not generation’ or even a social gospel context.  In the Church, many of us are more worried about keeping money safe, than spending it generously.  We are saving for a rainy day and missing the fact that the rains have been and gone and we are in drought, indeed facing a famine.  We might not want to align ourselves with Judas (who does?) but perhaps, this Holy Monday, we need to ask ourselves are we more in tune with him than with Mary?

Mary’s actions are extravagant – most certainly.  And in our ‘britishness’ we might struggle to comprehend these actions. They are intimate yet public, they are sensual yet humility driven.  She takes her nard, worth a small fortune, and pours it on the feet of Jesus, wiping his feet with her hair.  It is an outpouring of worship, of love, and for Jesus – recognition. Jesus defends her actions wholeheartedly, not because he doesn’t care for the poor.  Rather her actions are pure, motivated by love and a sense of perspective that there is more to this life than what we see.

The author of Hebrews speaks of the old covenant and the new covenant, and this new covenant opens up such blessings for us.  And we are loved by God, whose generosity knows no bounds.  Surely, this should motivate us, like Mary, to give, but not to save or help, but to worship God.  To thank him, to anoint him, to praise him for his generosity and love towards us.  Yes those gifts may be used by others to build his kingdom, to share his mercy, to help those in need.  But first and foremost, our giving should be about worshipping, thanking, praising God.  When our perspective changes from what we give to God as if having a debt to pay, to worshipping God, suddenly we are free to be generous.  Our hearts are bigger, and we know what is to be truly blessed.

For this reason Christ brings a new agreement from God to his people.  Those who are called by God can now receive the blessings he has promised, blessings that will last forever.  They can have those things because Christ died…

Holy Monday – let’s consider who we worship and how we worship him?  What motivates us?  Jesus died for you – why?  What does Scripture say to you about his why and how does that challenge you as a disciple of Christ?


Collect/Prayer:
Almighty and ever-living God,
In tender love for all our human race, you sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ to take our flesh and suffer death upon a cross.  Grant that we might follow the example of his great humility, and share in the glory of his resurrection. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Readings:   Isaiah 42:1-9
Psalm 36:5-11
Hebrews 9:11-15
John 12:1-11

Breaking the Silence

If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out. 
I love Jesus’ response here.  The idea that should the people be silenced in their worship of God, the very stones would cry out.  Imagine that for a moment.  It’s kinda hard really.  Stones can be many things:
Used and shaped into buildings, statues, painted to look like cats, to wedge open doors or crack skulls, or for hot stone therapy but as a general rule they are not known for singing, praising or shouting.

Yet, should the people be silenced, the stones would cry out.  Interestingly that isn’t challenged though I have no doubt, something amazing would have happened.

We live in a world where often we are silenced.
There is much we want to say or sing, but we are silenced.
We are silenced by our fears.
We are silenced by the worry of inappropriateness.
We are silenced by our Britishness.
We are silenced by our politicians or leaders.
We are silenced by our inadequacies.
We are silenced by our family and friends.
We are silenced by embarrassment.
We are silenced.

The people didn’t fully understand who Jesus was or indeed what would happen next.  But they were excited to see him, and they welcomed him.  Great celebrations, a party mood, full of expectation and hope.  The disciples sing praises and worship, grateful for all that they had seen.  This would have been more people than the 12 disciples, for though they had seen the most, they weren’t the only ones who had witnessed miracles.  For John who records 7 miracles, plenty people had witnessed the majority of them, and those who believed sang praises.  Remember at this point they have no Good Friday/Easter Sunday - they only have Palm Sunday, that moment.  

It is not the donkey that causes the Pharisees to have issues, or indeed the hero’s welcome although that wouldn’t have helped.

It is making Jesus the King that gives them issues.  To make Jesus – King – would have upset the status quo.  Everything was ticking along nicely, even if it was making the most of a bad situation.  And Jesus was upsetting this, and risking everything.  The status quo is often misaligned with what is needed, but often it is safer, it is predictable, it is manageable.  Until someone upsets it and changes it…then everything gets somewhat uncomfortable.

Jesus is still upsetting the status quo today.
People today still resist him coming into their lives.
Yet it is not the donkey and the humble lifestyle they resist.
It’s not loving our neighbours, and many can accept even if they can’t do loving our enemies.
It’s not even miracles or worship.

It’s making Jesus King of our lives that gives people issues both in and out of the Church.

Putting him first, making him King.  And King of all, not just the bits we think he wants.  But King over all.

Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

And if we are honest, this is when we are silent too. Making him King makes him our leader, the one we worship, the one who carries the past, the present and the future.  And that often means breaking the status quo.  Read the Gospels – Jesus does it all the time and he still does it today.

But if we are silent, the stones will cry out.

Let us silence the voices in our heads, our hearts, our souls that rebuke us for making Jesus our King.
Let us silence the voices in our culture that attempt to make others king of our lives.
Let us silence the voices that rebuke us for our faith, for our way of life, for our worship and remind them that if we are silent, the stones would cry out.

Instead, let us, in loud voices praise our God, welcome our King and walk towards the Cross and the Resurrection with heads held high, knowing that our God is the One and Only God, in him we can have faith, hope and eternity.

You are my God, and I will praise you;
    you are my God, and I will exalt you.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever. Psalm 118:29

Make this Holy Week count – praise God in a loud voice, even if you are rebuked.  Live your faith humbly but with strength.  Be joyful, even in sorrow.  Be hopeful, even in darkness.  Trust that the Lord will come through for you.  For when the people are threatened by ‘other powers’, God would not let it be.

If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.

God always finds a way!  Amen.

Spending Time with Children

I have been really struck in my readings and experience about the value of spending time with God.  Of course, you say.  Surely that is a given - especially for a minister! But time is so precious, and if like me you are a busy person, wearing multiple hats, sometimes time is a commodity you appear to have very little of.

As a working mum, who happens to work mostly from home, the school holidays can become a bit of a challenge, especially for the youngest. These past couple of days I have been working away at my desk, balancing the random requests for food, mostly sweets, and the “I’m bored” comments into my day.  However, a promise of a shared activity gave me another hour of peace for work, and then it was off to the kitchen to make custard creams.  Today was a walk to the post office to drop off mail, and deliver some Easter cards for the Church, with the promise of a slushy for the wee lass.  Both events, lasting no more than an hour each, were opportunities for bonding, conversation, learning, shared tasks and comfortable silence.

It strikes me as I read through Jeremiah (a tough read), the Psalms, and John’s Gospel in particular, that spending time with God isn’t just about worship and church services.  It’s about that relationship with God that includes the highs and the lows, that recognises our humanity and his divinity, and that welcoming embrace when we need it most.  My child learns from my experience in the kitchen, but has a go herself.  My child shares her learning with me with pride, even if I already know it, and explains how they do maths now (which proves to me that I have no chance understanding it when she goes to high school). We are children of God, and God invites us to learn from his experience, to take time to bond with him in the garden, over the sink washing the dishes, sharing in his mission of love and life for all, or just enjoying comfortable silence in his loving presence.

Rather than make God-time a task of the day, why not make a conscious decision to share the day with God?  Kind of like having the children home on a working day, complete with interruptions and requests, let God interrupt your day, and for sure, interrupt his.  As Holy Week approaches, how might God become not an add-on or a task, but a relationship that you nurture?  Then when we consider how Jesus died and rose for you, for me, suddenly we are not talking about an abstract person, but someone very real to us, like my daughter holding my hand and bouncing up and down with excitement.

“I am a God who is near,” says the Lord.
    “I am also a God who is far away.
24 No one can hide
    where I cannot see him,” says the Lord.
    “I fill all of heaven and earth,” says the Lord. (Jeremiah 23:23-24 NCV)

God is with us - always.  Sometimes, we just need to look up from our busy lives, and accept the invitation to lay down our busyness and make cakes or go for a walk.  As Lent draws to a close, take time to lay down the busyness, and enjoy being with God, not just in the formal times, but even more so through the informal times. 

God bless.