RAMBLING RECTOR
Church buildings can open for public worship now, but I will continue to send a short reflection, for those of you who must continue to ‘shield’. It will be based on the topic of the Sunday Sermon, but not a transcript of it.
Let me know if you want a full transcript and I’ll get one to you.
SUNDAY 1 November 2020
Matthew chapter 5 verses 1 to 12
1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
He said:
3 ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 ‘Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Reflections on a Pumpkin
Our congregation WhatsApp group is a great way for those church members who can cope with the technology to share news and encouragements – and this week someone has sent round the following…
“Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in and washes off all the dirt. Then he cuts the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate and greed. Last he carves you a new smiling face and puts his light inside of you to smile for all the world.”
It's a nice image isn’t it?! But I wonder if you could spend some time reflecting on where you are in the cycle of change that God is working in us.
I’m going to be as honest as I can be here… I know that God has brought me in. He has brought me in from the bleakness of despair and sin – but I’m sorry to say that some of the ‘dirt’ still clings in the crevices and God needs to keep on with the scrubbing!
And yes, I often feel as if God has cut deeply into my ‘top’ and has been scooping around in the furthest recesses of my poor soul, and such scooping and digging about really hurts! As for removing all the seeds of doubt, and hate and greed – well I fear I am still a work in progress on that one, and God is constantly and continually scouring out bits of me that shouldn’t be there, and that he – and I - need to deal with.
And that happy smiley face – well not always! We have to be careful that our smile does not become a false, and rictus grin, because the truth is that there are sorrows and tragedies in our own live and in the wider world that should cause us to weep and mourn. As Christians we can have an inner peace but that does not mean that we are immune from pain, and unmoved by the suffering of others.
Finally then, to remember that the light is the Light of Christ that shines in the darkness that surrounds us, and in the darkness that we still discover in ourselves when we are truly honest about ourselves before God. The miracle is that this poor, battered and inadequate pumpkin that is my life, can still shine with the light of Christ.