Speech and sight

How refreshing it is to hear the youth delegates' take on the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Especially on this the first day of proceedings so full of pomp and circumstance.
Already they have discerned that when a Convenor uses the word "briefly" it bears no relation to their concept of brevity! And how much shorter the Lord High Commissioner's speech would be if he left out all the whys and wheretofores with which his speech, presented on a scroll, no less, is so liberally peppered.
Tonight, in worship, we considered speech and sight, two senses that we all use so differently. We gave thanks for the gift of voice and for those whose skill is eloquence in speech. We prayed for the discernment to hear the message and not be simply carried along by rhetoric.
And we acknowledged how, even when engaged in seeing the same things and reading the same texts, we may yet come to interpret things differently. We prayed for authenticity in our interpretation and love and tolerance for others whose interpretation, although different, is authentic for them.
Looking forward to seeing and hearing God at work in General Assembly this week.

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Dog lessons

Exuberance propels her into the water
Oblivious to the cold
Plunging in for the sheer joy
Being absorbed and enveloped
Cradled in an ocean sized bath
Retrieving her stick and returning
to present her prize
and plead for the opportunity
to do it all again.
And to do it with joy
How I yearn for the ability
to practice exuberance
as it is taught by a dog
Instead, I fear reaction
I recoil from the effect
it might have on others
- the suspicion with which
I might be regarded.
So I curb my instinct
and stifle my exuberance
But be warned!
One day it will al come pouring out!

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Mad as...

The Spill the Beans team met today, not to write as we usually do but to plan and dream. Our meetings are always filled with hilarity. We cannot help but find joy in our task of somehow unravelling Lectionary texts and being creative in how we might present those with and for our different congregations.
Today we started off with a lengthy agenda. It took us less than two minutes to be totally diverted from that! And less than five minutes to mention Dr Who! With so many creative minds together in a room, sticking to an agenda is like herding cats. But we seem to get there and, certainly, each season, we come up with more and more ideas for presenting and living out the gospel together.
The Lectionary based all age church curriculum has enjoyed an amazing uptake not just in Scotland, our intentional market, but in other parts of the world too.
Taking time out today, in the beautiful surrounds of New Lanark, to plan the next stage was enriching and energising - essential components of ministry. Now to get back to writing for the season after the season after Pentecost!
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If we had known...

A brush of a kiss on the way out the door
A wave from the window
A stony silence
A blazing row precipitating a stormy exit
Would we have done it differently
if we'd known it would be
our final farewell?
When life - or death intervenes
causing us to pause and consider
are we changed
by that salutary encounter?
In all our impotence
to stave off evil
can't we yet
be changed by love?
Might we redouble our efforts
to tip the scales
to counter the balance?
Not simply to light the darkness
when it falls
but to push the dawn
ever nearer
so that its gentle light
pervades all
upon which it encroaches.
Need we wait
until tragedy intervenes
before we get to work?
Or might we strive
all the more
to be harbingers of light
and effectors of love.

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Blessings of home

Getting away
Forsaking routine for a time
Refreshing, recharging
Bringing new perspective
Allowing space to reflect
Renewing energy
Fuelling enthusiasm
Rekindling imagination
Relieving strains and stresses
that have built up imperceptibly
dulling the senses
hiding the joy
masking the wonder
But as the tension ebbs
Joy returns
until once more
love comes easily
And the blessings of home
are known
and appreciated afresh.

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Nature's composition

In this landscape
of water and trees
the setting sun
is accompanied
by a cacophony of sound
- tree frogs
and bull frogs
banjo frogs
and critters
all coorying down for the night
finding just the right spot
and trumpeting
in abandonment
and delight
when they find it.
Their symphony cannot be matched
or imitated
by the finest composers
or conductors
or musicians
It is exquisite
and complete
A worthy lullaby
to accompany dreams
of another nature filled day
A backing track
of contentment
to aid restful sleep.

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A welcome distraction?

The death of former British Prime Minister, Baroness Thatcher has, predictably, caused a great flurry of comment, wit and malice on social networking sites. What a welcome distraction for the current government! Having, just this week, launched more horrific welfare cuts that will plunge countless families, already struggling with poverty into even deeper misery, while protecting the rich, their policies do not merely echo but continue the philosophy that became known as Thatcherism.
"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy" said Jessica Dovey
There is no place and no excuse to rejoice in the death of any child of God. Nor should we be deflected from the injustice that continues to be perpetrated to this day by a government that continually refines the practice of segregation by social class.
In a democracy, such evil can only prosper if we, the electorate, allow it to do so.
Putting our energy into mobilising to reverse the cuts and to find a way out of the relentless descent into making the rich richer at the expense of the poor would be a much better way to mark this day - or any day.
Whatever our political hue, may we resolve to not let up on the pressure to force the current administration to rebuild the society that continues to be demolished. May we be the generation that "makes Thatcherism history."

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