A sparrow, a swallow and a Jack Russell

‘Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young – a place near your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.’ Psalm 84:3 This verse comes from one of my favourite Psalms, and is also one of my favourite verses. Why? Because it reminds us of the welcome of grace. Sparrows and swallows are, in my experience, both messy and noisy, especially when they are nesting, and it is hugely surprising to me to discover that not only were they allowed in the Jerusalem temple, they were actually welcomed there! The point is this: if God has a welcome for sparrows and swallows, surely he has a welcome for us with all our own messiness and chatter. Rather than be a barrier to keep us away from God, the altar is meant to be a bridge bringing us near to him. We are able to feel at home with God even though we are far from perfect because sin has been dealt with and we are now free to approach a holy God. Grace bids us welcome. Which brings me to the Jack Russell and my recent visit to the Sisters of Bethany, a community of nuns in Portsmouth. I was leading a week long retreat for them, and on the final day we were gathering in the chapel for the second service of prayer for the day (Terce). Most of the nuns were already assembled, and already in a deeply contemplative silence. I myself was just settling down and finding my place in the various prayer books before we began. It was a deeply solemn moment, in a sacred place. However, just at this point into this holy atmosphere came a slightly podgy Jack Russell that clearly had a lot of attitude. He passed to take in his new surroundings, eyeing everything and everyone curiously. It was a surreal moment because there had been no canine presence in the convent before, and I felt sure he was not expected. Having found his bearings, he began to walk confidently towards the altar, at which point I inwardly panicked. ‘Oh no,’ I thought to myself, ‘he’s going to mark out his territory, and he’s going to start with the altar!’ By this time his presence had somehow communicated itself to the Sisters. One by one their eyes opened, their faces revealing surprise at first, and then (thankfully) amusement. Fortunately an Unseen Hand guided Jack away from the altar and he became content to sniff around the prayer stalls and explore his new ecclesiastical environment. Everyone began to laugh now at the incongruity of what was happening, but being the Strong Natural Leader that I am, I felt someone needed to take charge of the situation, so I got up and with the help of one or two others gently encouraged our canine friend to explore some other parts of the house. My talk that morning was about the ‘rhythms of grace’: the balance between giving out and taking in, working and resting, doing and being, and so on. But as I pondered what had happened, I couldn’t help but smile at the humour of God, and added another rhythm – the balance between being serious and having fun, between solemnity and lightness of heart. It seemed as if God was speaking to us that morning through the appearance of the little Jack Russell, about the welcome of grace, yes, but also reminding us that sometimes laughter can be as holy as silence. Life – and Christian ministry - can all get very serious sometimes can’t it, and we need to be relaxed enough to smile and laugh. After all, God has a sense of humour and his presence can be found as much in the comic as in the serious.

PLANS, PLANS, PLANS!

At the start of 2013, during our time of waiting on God, two scriptures came to us. The first was 1John 3:1: How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!’ This speaks about our identity, and we spent the first part of the year unpacking this wonderful truth. The second verse was Jeremiah 29:11, which says: ‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord,‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’ This verse reminds us of our calling as a church, and the fact that God has a purpose for us. It was originally spoken to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, to encourage them and remind them that God had not abandoned them. It seems appropriate for us as a church right now during this period of change and transition. GOD’S PLANS - ‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord. God is a God who loves to plan. Both creation and salvation reflect the planning of God, and so does the life of our church. Nothing happens to us by chance or by accident, and even the unexpected and disappointing events are woven into God’s overall purpose for us. We may not always understand why certain things happen, and we may sometimes feel that we have lost our way, but God speaks to reassure us – he does know what he is doing, and his plans for us still stand. We are invited to trust him in the changes taking place. GOOD PLANS - ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you’ In everything that God does he works for our good, and his plans are birthed in his love. Satan continually seeks to undermine our belief in the goodness of God, suggesting to us that God is les than good. This was his strategy in the Garden of Eden when he tempted Adam and Eve into sin, and he still slanders the character of God, telling us that God does not love us, that his plans for us have failed, or that he has abandoned us. This is why we need to hear this word of encouragement deep in our souls, and to accept the invitation to rejoice in the truth that our God is a good God who desires only to bless us. His plans for us are better than our own! GRACIOUS PLANS - ‘plans to give you a hope and a future’ The promise to the exiles is that after 70 years they will return to their own land. This was a promise of restoration, based upon grace, for they did not earn or deserve such favour. It came true of course, during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah when miraculously the people returned to the Promised Land and rebuilt the temple and the city. This major event in Israel’s history is one of the great salvation events in the Bible that remind us of God’s power to save and redeem. Nothing is too hard for our God. In his own time he will act according to his purpose and we have only to wait for his timing. God will do good for us too, not because we deserve it, but because he is gracious to us. This gives us our hope, and means we can be optimistic about the future. Here is an invitation for us to believe in a bright tomorrow. In the meantime, like Israel, we can focus on knowing God more deeply, which is always God’s priority for his people. The exiles are told to settle down, and find God in the present moment; not to live in the past, feel sorry for themselves or nostalgically remember how things used to be. Hard times can actually become wonderful learning experiences. Even in difficult circumstances we can call upon God, knowing that he will listen to our cry (v12). And we can press on in our spiritual journey, seeking God with all our heart, knowing that when we seek him, he will be found by us (v13). Yes, change has taken place, and it may take us a while to readjust, but we are not alone. God has not left us, and his good plans for us are solid and secure: ‘But the plans of the Lord stand firm for ever, the purposes of his heart through all generations(Psalm 33:11.’ Let us therefore choose to trust God, rejoice in his goodness, and believe him for a bright tomorrow!

Security Alert!

I was flying recently to Belfast from East Midlands Airport. I arrived at the check-in desk in good time, only to be told that the flight was cancelled, and that we would be taken to Birmingham by coach to join a flight from there. We were directed to another counter where our booking was changed and we were given details of where to find the coach. Since there was an hour before it would leave, I bought a newspaper and then went for a coffee and a bite to eat.


Half an hour later I’d finished reading the paper and was thinking of going to stretch my legs when a sudden feeling of anxiety swept over me. It said, ‘You’ve lost something.’ I checked my pockets for the usual suspects – glasses and mobile phone – but both were there. So what had I lost? I glanced at the floor, and there was my rucksack. Whatever could it be? And then a sudden panic-filled realisation: where was my suitcase? It wasn’t with me, so what had happened to it? Had it been stolen? No, I must have left it somewhere, but where?

I got up hastily to begin the search even as the tannoy gave out the usual warning: ‘Do not leave your baggage unattended. Any baggage found unattended will be taken away, and may be destroyed.’ Visions of my precious suitcase being lost forever filled my mind.

I decided to retrace my steps. I knew I hadn’t left it at the airline check-in desk, so maybe it was at the check-in desk for the coach? By this time a long queue had developed there, but I manoeuvred my way to the front, only to be informed that they hadn’t seen it. So where next? The only responsible thing seemed to be to head for Security and confess my carelessness.

‘Excuse me,’ I said sheepishly, and feeling utterly stupid, ‘but I’ve lost my suitcase.’

‘Ah,’ said the official,’ in a superior sounding voice, ‘We’ve just had a report of a suitcase in W.H.Smith’s. Better try there.’

I raced across to the shop, and there standing guard over my suitcase was a burly security guard. ‘I think that’s mine,’ I admitted shamefully. ‘I came to buy a paper and must have left it behind.’ Fortunately he offered no rebuke, just a silent admonition, and I was joyfully re-united with my suitcase.

I sat on a nearby bench and pondered the number of times I have heard that security announcement about unattended baggage, and rather judgementally wondered, ‘What kind of person in this age of terrorist threat leaves a suitcase unattended in an airport?’ Well now I know (and so do you)!

I also thought about why it had happened. Perhaps I had been on autopilot and not really thinking about what I was doing. Maybe I had mentally assumed because I had checked in for the coach, I had actually checked in for the flight, and my luggage had been checked-in too. Maybe it was a ‘senior moment’ extraordinaire. But to lose a suitcase? That takes some doing!

We can all become so busy in life, so focussed on the detail of the moment, that we lose sight of the bigger picture, and thereby lose our grip on some of the most important realities. We can be so busy at work that we neglect our marriage, or our family... so taken up with all we have to do, that we forget to take care of ourselves. And so busy doing things for God that we forget to be with God, and thereby lose our place of abiding in Christ on which our fruitfulness depends.

What might you (or I ) have lost without realising it?

It is said of Samson, a man who had regularly know the Spirit resting on him in great power, that he became so complacent and careless in his walk with God that ‘he did not know that the Lord had left him (Judges 17:20).’ How sad that is. The glory had gone, but in the intensity of his life he didn’t realise what had been lost.

Why not stop for a moment and make sure you have not lost anything from your life in God that is really very important.