post and photos by June Friesen,
How often have you sat by a beautiful lake and pondered – ‘I sure wish life was so beautiful’. The water is clear and the waves are lapping gently on the shore. The bushes, the trees, the grass are a brilliant and luscious green. You observe the occasional butterfly, lizard, duck, and/or bird who seem to be at peace with their surroundings. But ever so quickly somehow your mind wanders back to another picture – from another place that seems to resonate more readily to the place where you actually find yourself, particularly at this moment. I call this the parable of ‘The Murky Pond.’ One begins to see all the negatives in the beautiful lake – look at the dead weeds and reeds; look at the broken tree branches; look at the sludge, the moss, the webs, the occasional bug flies by and life seems rather dull and stagnant – maybe even kind of smelly if one gets too close.
II Corinthians 1:9-11 (The Message)
Paul writes to the Corinthians:
“It was so bad we didn’t think we were going to make it. We felt like we’d been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he’s the God who raises the dead! And he did it, rescued us from certain doom. And he’ll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing. You and your prayers are part of the rescue operation—I don’t want you in the dark about that either. I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise for God’s deliverance of us, a rescue in which your prayers played such a crucial part.”
As I sat with these words I imagined Paul’s discouragement, his brokenness…. I am not sure just what his experience had been just before or in the present moment of these feelings but given all of the injustices he faced, imprisonments, beatings, sitting in stocks, public humiliations, etc. And even as I am writing this, I think of what it must have been like to have been sitting in the dungeons of the prisons – was it or could it have been like being in a murky, muddy, smelly pond? Were some of the thoughts going through his mind like – will I ever see the real sea or rivers again? Let us never forget that Paul, while he was a great evangelist for the cause of Christianity, he still was human. In fact, remember that in the beginning of Christianity he was one who would have been responsible for doing to others exactly what he was facing now. Yet, Paul reminds us here of the importance of trusting God even in these situations as well as being thankful that we have others who will pray for us in the struggles that we are facing.
The Murky Pond
What is this that I see here?
Ugh, it is yucky looking,
It is smelly and looks so gross,
What beauty can there be in anything so ugly?
What usefulness can there be in such muck?
If someone falls in there –
Will they disappear?
Will there ever be hope of survival?
It certainly is the picture of dying –
Soon death will come –
And all that will remain will be hard, cracked soil.
But then –
I stop and I ponder this murky pond –
I even took this photo –
And then it was that I noticed –
There was life here –
And it was not only the life that was not far from the water edge –
No there was actually life active in and above the murkiness –
And not only was there life but soon I noticed there was beautiful life –
Several dragonflies no doubt had found a home here –
And to them it was beautiful, it was safe,
Yes, the murky pond held a safe place for them as well as food and drink.
You see, there were still branches across the pond,
There were little minute insects on the surface of the pond,
There was foliage at the edges… yes, there was hope
And they were embracing it to the fullest in the moment.
And as I pondered this at the edge of this pond –
I could not help but think of some recent moments in my own life
Where it seemed as if I was living by a murky pond,
Rather than by the edge of a beautiful lush pond or lake
With beautiful life all about for me to enjoy.
I thought about what had helped me get to the lush spaces of my life,
Those times I allowed my spirit to be nurtured with the reign of the Spirit,
And now what had allowed me to get to the murky places of my life,
And I began to realize it probably was because of a spiritual drought.
What is it that has caused this spiritual drought within me?
Have I shut off the rain clouds of the Spirit with my attitudes?
Have I allowed my spirit to slowly wither, until it is near death…
And in my spirit’s parched state it is also
All murky and muddy – stale and stinky –
And not only are others aware of this –
But God is and He is beginning to slowly break through from within –
His Spirit within is a like a wellspring –
And gently I feel it nudging from within –
And I am beginning to feel refreshment arise–
Ah… I kind of like this breath of freshness –
Ah… God please come and rain with Your Spirit upon me once again –
Let me feel that cleansing and refreshing rain –
Please come and flood me with cleansing and healing –
Making me whole and alive once again.
Let it be that in this new life I will also be the place where others can find life, healing and refreshment –
Let it be that You will flow forth from within me in power like never before –
And may healing begin for many for the glory and honor of your kingdom –
Amen and amen.
June Friesen 7/20/21
(All photos and writings are by June Friesen)
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post and photos by Lisa DeRosa,
Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Because this is our last summer in Seattle before my husband and I move back to California, we decided that we would be intentional with our summer plans. We made our Seattle Bucket List, which includes places to visit, restaurants to enjoy, people to connect with, and fun activities to do before our moving date in November. Due to COVID restrictions and closures last year, we feel like we are making up for lost months with our summertime. We are diligently taking photographic evidence because photos from 2020 are practically nonexistent.
Some highlights so far include renting paddle boards on Green Lake, watching the sunrise on Lake Washington, hiking around Mt. Rainier, and walking through the UW Wetlands and Horticultural Center. That all took place in the last month!
As I reflect on the time, I am grateful for the capacity to do these things and that we live in a beautiful place with lots of parks, water, and views to behold. I am also aware that this season has forced me to ask myself how I want to spend my remaining time here and how to leave well. Do I start packing months in advance? Or, do I resist the temptation until a few weeks before so I continue to “dwell in the land” (Psalm 37:3 NIV) rather than constantly thinking about packing? Do I go back to meeting in person at church? Or, do I use that time on Sunday for other things? These are questions that I had to grapple with and process. Though I feel that I have some clarification now, it was not easy.
Reflections Turned to Lessons
The lessons that arose from this reflection time for the next few months apply to our lives in general.
- We are living like we have limited time in Seattle.
- Our Seattle Bucket List is helpful but is also a plan to deviate from as needed.
- Intentionality with time and connection to creation (including people!) are our goals.
- We trust God to provide for our needs.
We all live with limited time; we don’t know how long we have to live on this earth. Our moving date gives us a timeframe, but we don’t get that in life. God knows, but I don’t.
While I think I have control over my day-to-day schedule, life happens, situations arise, events get canceled, etc. I need to see plans as deviations from what could happen, like penciling them in rather than writing them in permanent ink.
I don’t foresee changing our goal of intentionality and connection once we move. I want to carry the lessons that I have learned in my community to our family and friends in California. Our Mustard Seed House community eats dinner together once a week, which involves an activity too. We talked about trying a weekly rotation idea like this with our parents to see them more often and switch who hosts. It seems silly to move back to be geographically closer without setting times to be together regularly! We also want to get to know our neighbors and invite them over for meals, games nights, or a glass of lemonade. I am excited to scope out the local parks, little free libraries, garage sales, and beautiful landscape that our new home will provide.
Trusting God to provide is challenging! We are requesting what seems like impossible scenarios, but God is good. God is sovereign despite the outcome. God provides when moving, as we need housing, a new-to-us car, and a community of believers, but also in daily life! God is the ultimate source of all things. We are chosen stewards of the creation bestowed upon us, so we have responsibility for it, but money and all material things belong to God.
What is Your Response?
- What does it look like to dwell in the land where you live? How is God calling you to do that?
- Are you living with the perspective of limited time? How?
- What would your day look like if you were to pencil in plans?
- Who do you need to connect with today?
- How do you need to connect with creation? Where can you go to do that?
- How are you trusting God with every aspect of your life?
Embark on this healing journey with Christine Sine, Lilly Lewin, and Bethany Dearborn Hiser with the Time to Heal Online Course. Each session is lead by one of our instructors and allows you 180 days of access for only $39.99. The goal of this course is to provide time, space, and tools to work toward healing.
by Christine Sine
In a world shadowed by cruelty
violence and loss is there good reason
for the planting of flowers?Ah yes!
For these bursts of colour
and beautiful blooms
are bright dabs of grace
witnesses of a promise,
reminders of a spreading beauty
more eternal and therefore stronger
then any evil, then any grief
then any injustice or violence.
I am currently in Texas, having just made my first plane trip since the beginning of COVID. One of the last things I did before I left home was to walk around the garden to admire my sunflowers, dahlias, and gladioli now all in full bloom. I also did a little last-minute deadheading on my roses and picked the first of our summer squash. Leaving everything in its glorious display and summer abundance was almost as hard as leaving my husband Tom and our dog Goldie.
While at the airport waiting for my flight, I read through the beautiful liturgy above from a new app I have just discovered called Every Moment Holy. Reading through a short prayer or liturgy like this has long been part of my travel ritual. Once I settle in to wait for an early morning flight I find it relaxing and renewing, a practice that recentres my soul after the stress of getting up early and negotiating check-in protocols. This liturgy is meant to accompany spring planting, but I found myself entering into its inspiring words as a soothing reminder of our creator God, who, as the liturgy goes on to say,
has scattered the evidences
of creation’s former glories
across the entire scape of heaven and earth.
Here in Texas, the flowers are different and the breathtaking beauty of the giant oaks and the glories of the sunset is different but it is just as impacting. More evidence of creation’s former glories scattered across the entire scape of heaven and earth. I am aware of it every time I pause to admire one of my flowers or gasp in awe at the tiny bees (especially the green bees) gathering pollen in the flower’s centre. I am aware of it too as I gaze up at the sky, not just at sunset but at any time of day when the fascinating shapes of clouds catch my attention.
Green bee – loaded with pollen
As I experience the uplift in my spirit that this liturgy from Every Moment Holy, it reminds me again of how important the reciting of psalms, prayers, and liturgies can be. Writing them can be even more powerful, a wonderful act of joining our creator in the ongoing act of creation that will one day restore our world.
What prayers, psalms, and liturgies uplift your soul in this season? Most of us are feeling weary and wrung out and we need refreshment. I hope that you will read through this liturgy (available from their app which you can find through the website). Perhaps you would like to combine it with a psalm and a refreshing walk in a park or around your garden or neighbourhood.
As happened to me, your own prayer might bubble up within or you might like to express yourself in some other creative way.
Pay attention as a way of life
Listen where you are
To the God who inhabits
ordinary spaces
And everyday events.
Mark God’s presence
on hands and heads and doorways,
the entryways to our hearts and minds and souls.
Immerse your days
in the sacred sounds and holy sights
of everyday things
infused with the extraordinary possibilities
Of God’s creative presence.
Scatter seeds of glory
into the broken places of our world.
Receive the sounds you hear with gratitude.
Respond with joy.
Let wonder emerge once more.
Want to experience more of the awe and wonder that God offers us? Check out the Gift of Wonder Online Retreat by Christine Sine. This retreat allows for 180 days of access for only $39.99 so you can move through the sessions at your own pace.
poem and photo by Lisa DeRosa,
Saturday dawns,
An excuse to leave the alarm off for the morning,
The gift of rest built into the day.
Away from the grind, the screen, the notifications,
warm beverage in hand,
we set off for the adventure of wonder.
Today, our eyes will adjust to see further than the end of our typing fingertips.
Today, our souls awaken to the possibilities that the day holds.
Today, our imaginations come alive as we choose where to begin.
Is it too much to expect from a day?
Never.
This day is a gift waiting to be unwrapped.
We leave in search of awe and wonder of the Creator and Created,
guided by the Spirit within,
hoping to behold the majesty of the world around us.
Preparation for a day like this comes in many forms,
we decide what we take with us and what we leave behind,
for serenity, for peace, for enjoyment.
Where is our grand adventure?
Have I left my room or am I reading a book?
Did I drive my car or am I just a short walk around the block?
That is part of the immense beauty of wonder,
it is everywhere,
but do you notice?
Where will you find wonder today?
Will you stop to take in the joy of the moment?
Who is with you on this journey?
As we are winding down our theme of Making Time for a Sacred Summer or Winter, I recognize that some are going back into lockdown, some haven’t come out of lockdown, and others are opening up without restrictions. Wherever you find yourself today, ask what awe and wonder God has for you today. Seek it out. Take notice. Even if you never get out of bed today, you can notice new things from where you are laying. If you decide to leave, where will you decide to go? What will you do that allows time and space for wonderment? Allow yourself to rest. Adventuring for awe and wonder does not mean endless planning and preparation.
Praying that you have a Sacred Summer (or Winter) Saturday!
The Spirituality of Gardening Online Course is available for 180 days of access for only $39.99. This interactive course includes video sessions with Christine Sine as well as 8 other guest gardeners. Visit our store page for more information.
How are you doing? How is your year going? How are you feeling these days?
Exhausted is how I’ve been feeling after a year and a half of “Covidland”… feeling like our whole country is exhausted we just cannot admit it!
I’m also feeling a lot of grief and trauma due to the layers of things within the “Land of Covid”, the political conflict, politicizing a pandemic, conflict over masks and now vaccines, bouts with anxiety and depression, etc. And the losses of the past year, like work, interaction with people, and the regular rhythms of the calendar like holidays with family. I still have to remind myself what month it is because I’m somewhere back in March or April, NOT JULY!
We also had a tornado and a bombing in Nashville this past year to add another layer of things I cannot control or fix. And now we have a variant that is moving rapidly through the world. WOW! It’s a lot!
As I’ve shared before, as an enneagram 7, acknowledgment of this grief and sitting with it is hard but so necessary! Seven’s don’t like pain or conflict.
So I have paid attention and gone back to therapy. And I have also done some processing with art and looked at where I really am with a lot of “compassionate curiosity” as my therapist likes to say!
My friend, Scott Erickson, was sharing that he feels exhausted too. And he feels that rest isn’t the only answer to this feeling.
I agree that restoration and recovery are more than just getting more sleep and even more time off, although those are good places to start! After all, my hashtag is #RESTisHOLY and I am on a mission to help others learn to really practice REST! I am a BIG proponent of REST and practicing Sabbath. But I know that rest for some of us isn’t just being in a hammock, sitting still, or taking a good nap.
What feeds your soul & refills your cup?
Again, I’ve realized that I need my cup refilled.
And I started asking myself what things really feed my soul? What things fill up my cup?
And honestly, due to the craziness of the last year, I’d forgotten a lot of them. Definitely missed out on these things due to lockdowns, etc. Things like art, having people over, exercise class, travel, even doing in-person work.
WHAT ARE THINGS THAT REKINDLE YOUR SOUL?
WHAT THINGS HAVE YOU MISSED OUT ON OR NEGLECTED DOING?
WHAT THINGS BRING YOU JOY?
I made a list:
Being in Nature
Being in places of Beauty.
Travel
Creating Art
Looking at Art
Good Conversations
People
Being around Kids
I realized too, that I need to connect with kindred spirits… people who get me and who are leading the way in things I value, like creative church and social enterprise. I need to be in places of beauty just to absorb them.
And I need to remember what it’s like to play and just have fun with no real agenda!
Going to MOM CAMP
So I booked myself on a trip for refueling! I’m dubbing this week “mom camp” after Jen Hatmaker and doing all of these things! Art, Nature, Play, Rest, and hanging out with some great people I’ve missed! I do know this is a total privilege to get to hang out in Colorado for a week of friends and retreat time. I’m so grateful for this!
And practicing gratitude is helping me heal too!
I used to love camp in the summertime! I went to day camp several summers, did a couple of overnight camps, and retreats in high school, and was a camp counselor several years too! Those camp experiences really fed my soul!
Maybe you had camp or camping experiences in your childhood or you still like to go camping now. What about CAMP feeds your soul?
At mom camp, I got to hang out with my friend, Kathy Escobar. Kathy leads the Refuge Community in Denver. She and her husband Jose have a non-profit called #waterheals. I got to go out on their boat with other friends who needed to be on the water for some time to fill their cups and it truly was healing! Got over a bit of real water fear too. At summer camp, I loved to be on the water but not under it! Some of you might find that swimming again is good therapy! I also got to shoot archery for the first time since I was camp counselor in high school!
not my target : )
Another part of my camp time was going to see art with my friend, Amy Clifford. We had a wonderful, long lunch and then walked to see artists creating wall murals along a path near a creek. Nature and Art and Friends!
Experience Art
WHAT COULD A DAY OF CAMP LOOK LIKE FOR YOU? How could you create a camp for yourself?
What things would you do to bring your soul back to life and fill your cup?
Go on a hike, take a bike ride, find a creek or lake to sit by, or get out on. Go to an art museum and absorb the beauty. Find murals in your town. Or, create some art on your own. Go swimming. Have a cup of coffee or tea with someone you’ve missed or someone you’d like to know better. Get together with a friend and do a craft day… or just take a blanket outside and watch the clouds or the stars!
One idea might be to do a “house swap” with a friend or family for a change of scenery and a mini-retreat!
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? WHAT WOULD BRING YOU JOY?
I’ve also taken time for reflection this week. Journaling and looking back at this past year… at the losses that I need to let Jesus have and heal. And I made a list of the things I need to remember and to celebrate! Too often we forget to celebrate and remember the good things!
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO CELEBRATE FROM THE PAST YEAR? Talk to Jesus about this. And talk to your friends and family too. Share where you have been and what you are feeling like now.
WHAT WOULD HELP YOU PROCESS this past year?
WHAT THINGS WOULD HELP YOU CONNECT with where you really are emotionally and spiritually?
I’m realizing that this will be a longer process of recovery and restoration than I’d like. But we’ve had 16 months of crazy land and it’s still crazy and uncertain due to the variant. So it will take time.
Remember, Compassionate Curiosity! Remember that Jesus is with you right where you are! And I am reminding myself and you too that #RestisHoly
Take time to REST
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
HERE are some more ideas to help you fill your cup and experience a Sacred Summer and even have CAMP!
You might try some of the Gifts of a Sacred Summer! There is still time to open some gifts in the days ahead!
Play
Rest
Gratitude
Nature
Create
You might try the HEALING Course
TIME TO HEAL that Christine Sine and I led. I help you process healing with art and color!
OR, do our Sacred Summer Retreat:
READ this POST:
by Christine Sine,
Here on Godspace, there are four types of sustainability we talk about – human, economic, social, and environmental.
It is the economic sustainability that seems to be the hardest for us to come to grips with. How do we make decisions that will make it possible for all the people of our planet to flourish economically? It surprises me how many Christians I talk to in the U.S. don’t believe that the minimum wage should provide a living wage for an employee. Even fewer seem to be concerned about where they invest their money, as long as they are making enough for their retirement.
When it comes to investing our money, it seems even more of a challenge. Ethical or socially responsible investing seeks to consider not just financial return but also social good. This has become a booming market in the last few years, but I struggle because it seems that financial gain is still often more important than social good. I also struggle with how to do that without replacing the bondage of slavery with that of dependency. How do we truly bring freedom and liberation?
One form of social investing that is very attractive to many Christians is microloans which are often geared towards the poor and seems to have the potential to bring freedom and liberation, not just to those who live in poverty but to the rich too. The U.S. Small Business Administration provides a list of lenders by state if you are interested. Kiva a non-profit organization that helps individuals and families around the globe to start local business using “loans that change lives”. I first learned about this form of transformative help when I worked with David Bussau, of Opportunity International, on a document on the Biblical basis for micro finance in the early 90s. That document states:
A strong economic base provides the springboard for many dimensions of a family’s life. The provision of capital and income for a man who has been unemployed and ashamed of his inability to provide, often results in reconciliation of families that have been fragmented and separated. It can provide medical care for children whose parents were once denied this right and access to a decent education for children once forced into child labour. Families that have adequate income can provide the essentials of a decent life – shelter, nutrition, immunization, access to clean water and basic health care. These are all examples of the transformation Jesus would have advocated to see families restored to wholeness and abundant life.”
Let’s Consider the Needs of Others.
I believe that we are called to consider the needs of others as more important than our own (Philippians 2:3-4) and above all else to strive to bring wholeness and abundant life especially to those who are poor and marginalized. Jesus showed particular concern for this segment of society, encouraging his followers to give up their possessions and give to the poor. Part of the responsibility of those of us who have resources is to share with those who have no resources. When we do this all our lives are transformed. South African Missiologist, David Bosch, expresses it well,
To become a disciple means a decisive and irrevocable turning to both God and neighbour…. In their being converted to God, rich and poor are converted toward each other.”
To be converted towards each other means that we are all transformed. The rich (and all of us who are middle class in Australia, New Zealand, North America and Europe, are rich) are transformed because we claim a new identity based not on the security of wealth and prestige, but rather on the right and just relationships that are the standards of the God’s eternal kingdom. God sets the wealthy free to serve rather than control others and so devote their attention and wealth to the concerns of God’s eternal world of wholeness and abundance.
To the poor, Jesus also offered a new identity – the opportunity to be free and responsible human beings with dignity and self-worth, able to serve God and others in society as God intended. By his words and actions, Jesus constantly demonstrated that the call of God’s eternal kingdom was to bring this kind of wholeness and abundance to to the lives of those at the margins. The equality Jesus envisioned was not a levelling down in which all became poor but rather a willing abdication of the rights of all so that through the practice of servanthood all might be fulfilled, live in harmony with God, and develop fully the gifts with which God has endowed them.
So my questions for all of us to consider this week are:
- How do we work for sustainability, for the wholeness and abundance of all God’s people and especially those at the margins?
- How do our decisions and actions set those who live in poverty free to be the liberated, fulfilled people God intends them to be?
Join the Godspace Light Community Group on Facebook! This is a place to discuss a whole-life faith that embraces spirituality especially contemplative, Celtic, & creative spiritual practices, environmental & economic sustainability, social & environmental justice, and gardening & creation care.
written by Margaret Brock, emailed by Carol Dixon,
Opening Prayer
Lord, be with us this afternoon as we spend a short time apart from our usual activities and spend time quietly with you. We thank you for all your love and care towards us over the years and in particular over the past few months. Help us to think about what we can do to show your love and kindness to those around us. Amen.
Reflection part 1
The last few weeks seem to have been dominated by sport – on television, on the radio, in our papers, and in the streets. For some here, I’m sure you’re pleased that at least the football is over. So excuse me if I start off thinking about the football. I must admit I’m a fan and enjoy going to the occasional match and in the past taking my children and more recently my grandchildren. And yes, it always makes it more exciting when your team is winning. Something that hasn’t happened that often in Newcastle over the last few years. For football fans, the Euros certainly put a spring in the step of a lot of people and gave them something to cheer about.
I considered starting this short service by playing “Three Lions on a Shirt”, the England team’s anthem but probably most of you will have heard it rather too many times recently.
There has certainly been a lot of fervour among the supporters of the England team, especially while England was winning. Since then however, things have changed. For weeks, this group of young men have been lauded, adored, and celebrated – while they were winning. Suddenly they lost. They lost a football match. It was not a life and death situation. It was not the end of the world. It was a football match. Whilst true supporters have accepted the disappointment and pointed out how well they had done, both in their matches and in their behaviour, there has been a nasty reaction from some quarters.
The team comprised young men from different backgrounds, different racial heritage, and different life experiences. Unfortunately, when it came to the penalty shootout at the end, the England footballers missed 3 and the Italians missed 2. Not a big difference having been inseparable on goals over 120 minutes. Even more unfortunately, the 3 who missed were all black. Young men aged 19, 21, and 23. Brave enough to volunteer to take a penalty. Brave enough to stand in front of the many thousands at Wembley. Brave enough to be watched by millions round the world. I find it nerve racking enough standing up here in front of about a dozen! For these three men they went, in some people’s eyes, from hero to zero in a few minutes and in some people’s minds that was because of the colour of their skin!
Many people know about Marcus Rashford. During the pandemic, he has worked tirelessly to support children and ensure that they have enough to eat. He has been applauded throughout the country for his work and has even received an MBE for it. But suddenly, he misses a penalty in a football match and is vilified because he is black!
So what sort of country do we live in? And what can we do about it?
Hymn: Inspired by Love and Anger
1 Inspired by love and anger,
disturbed by need and pain,
Informed of God’s own bias,
we ask him once again:
“How long must some folk suffer?
How long can few folk mind?
How long dare vain self interest
turn prayer and pity blind?”
2 From those forever victims
of heartless human greed,
Their cruel plight composes
a litany of need:
“Where are the fruits of justice?
Where are the signs of peace?
When is the day when prisoners
and dreams find their release?”
3 From those forever shackled
to what their wealth can buy,
The fear of lost advantage
provokes the bitter cry,
“Don’t query our position!
Don’t criticise our wealth!
Don’t mention those exploited
by politics and stealth!”
4 To God, who through the prophets
proclaimed a different age,
we offer earth’s indifference,
its agony and rage:
“When will the wronged be righted?
When will the kingdom come?
When will the world be generous
to all instead of some?”
5 God asks, “Who will go for me?
Who will extend my reach?
And who, when few will listen,
will prophesy and preach?
And who, when few bid welcome,
will offer all they know?
And who, when few dare follow,
will walk the road I show?”
6 Amused in someone’s kitchen,
asleep in someone’s boat,
Attuned to what the ancients
exposed, proclaimed and wrote,
A Saviour without safety,
a tradesman without tools
has come to tip the balance
with fishermen and fools.
John L Bell and Graham Maule as quoted in “This is the Day” edited by Neil Paynter.
Traditional: Inspired by Love and Anger – YouTube
Reflection part 2
Apart from singing “Three Lions on a Shirt” and “Sweet Caroline,” the fans also shout “Come on England!” On Sunday night, after the match I flicked through recent posts on Facebook and saw one which Carla Grosch-Miller had shared before the match. It was entitled “Come on England!” This was something which throughout the tournament has been heard many times. But these words are rather different.
“Three lions on a shirt” refers repeatedly to “Football’s coming home.” But the poem that Carla posted doesn’t refer to a football match or any other game but to the type of country we would like to live in.
Come on England!
What I want to come home
is social justice,
honest leaders
who can point the way away
from intolerance and blame.
What I want to come home
is a sense of shame
at homelessness
and people who cannot even
afford to eat.
What I want to lose
is an uncaring elite
who can bathe in banknotes
and lie without blinking.
I want my country back
and not just for ninety minutes,
I want the unpicked to be chosen
and find that the limits
imposed by their births
have rusted and broken.
I want my people awoken
for more than just
a dribble of time
in between the bylines.
England still can be
what it always should
when every player awakes
and plays for each other.
By Harry Gallagher, quoted by Carla Grosch-Miller on Facebook Sunday 11th July 2021
So yes, we can cheer at a football match, or watching on the TV “Come on England.” We can nail our allegiances to a football mast. We can get excited when a “Brit” does well at Wimbledon or our cricket team wins an exciting match. We can get behind our country when we see the pageantry of The Trooping of the Colour or the State Opening of Parliament.
But what sort of society do we live in and what do we really want for England, Scotland, or wherever our loved ones live? And what can we do about it?
Bible Reading:
“34 As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. 35 When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; 36 send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat. 37 But he answered them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said to him, ‘Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?’ 38 And he said to them, ‘How many loaves have you? Go and see.’ When they had found out, they said ‘Five, and two fish.’ 39 Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people; and divided the two fish among them all. 42 And all ate and were filled: 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces of the fish. 44 Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.” (Mark 6:34-44 NRSV)
We know that Jesus cared for the spiritual wellbeing of people but He also cared for the physical wellbeing of the people who followed Him and He told his disciples to feed them. A task that seemed way beyond them, but He was with them and everyone was fed. What can we do to feed the spiritual and physical needs of those around us? It doesn’t have to be the big tasks like Marcus Rashford. It may be praying, making that telephone call, or just sitting quietly with someone in distress. We can all do our part to make England a place to come home to.
Hymn: Will you come and follow me?
1 Will you come and follow me
If I but call your name?
Will you go where you don’t know
And never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown?
Will you let my name be known
Will you let my life be grown in you
And you in me?
2 Will you leave yourself behind
If I but call your name?
Will you care for cruel and kind
And never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare
Should your life attract or scare?
Will you let me answer prayer in you
And you in me?
3 Will you let the blinded see
If I but call your name?
Will you set the prisoners free
And never be the same?
Will you kiss the leper clean
And do such as this unseen
And admit to what I mean in you
And you in me?
4 Will you love the “you” you hide
if I but call your name?
Will you quell that fear inside
and never be the same?
Will you use the faith you’ve found
to reshape the world around
through my sight and touch and sound
in you, and you in me?
5 Lord, your summons echoes true
when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you
and never be the same.
In your company I’ll go,
where your love and footsteps show,
thus I’ll move and live and grow
in you, and you in me.
John L Bell and Graham Maule as quoted in “This is the Day” edited by Neil Paynter.
NB This version contains an extra verse (v3) to the version of this hymn as found in Rejoice and Sing.
Will you come and follow me – YouTube
Closing prayer
Lord, help us to do what we can to make the lives of people around us better, brighter. Help us to want our country, and the world in which we live, to care for the sick and homeless, the people who have no hope left. Let us not be limited by our lack of faith in You. Show us what we can each do for You, in our own small way. Amen
Grace
May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirt be with us all now and evermore. Amen
Written by Margaret Brock for Worship on Wednesday, July 14, 2021. Used with permission. Photo by Jeffrey F Lin on Unsplash.
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