Thoughts a few days after holiday...

I've just returned from a wonderful fortnight’s holiday. My friends let me use their cottage in the Lake District. This is their back garden!

   

It is easy when we are in places like this to stop, to get off the treadmill of life, sit, be and reflect on the wonder of God’s providence in our lives. It is not so easy to do contemplation and reflection when we are not on holiday, because we say we are so busy. But why can’t we create space each day to pause and think about the spiritual dimension in our lives? If we are too busy to focus on the divine, then I believe our spiritual lives as people and as churches will eventually die. I think it was the White Rabbit in the Alice stories who said, “It takes all the running you can do to stay in the same place.” We all feel like that sometimes. Even our church lives can become frenetic with activity, planning, organisation and issues that we have no energy. We don’t do space, and we don’t do silence.

I read this week that we spend too much time checking Facebook for new statuses, tweeting, texting and staring at our phones. We want to see life moving, what people are doing, we want instant responses to what we text, Facebook and tweet. I recently went to see the comedian Andy Parsons at the De La Warr pavilion in Bexhill. He talked about this issue and suggested we ought to open our front door every ten minutes to see if anyone is there!

How do we create space in our lives to let God in, and breathe spiritually? I think even if we spend ten minutes during our day focussing on God rather than us, we will benefit. I would recommend two websites. The Methodist Church website – www.methodist.org.uk has a section with a prayer, a bible reading and a thought for the day. It takes minutes to do it, it is written to be done early in the morning, or at lunchtime, or in the evening, whenever you have time. Another excellent resource is a Jesuit site from Ireland – www.sacredspace.ie – this is really helpful, and again takes little time to complete the daily exercise suggested. 

Mark and Mary Fleeson, who live and work on Holy Island, have just written a little book called “The One Day Creative Retreat Activity Book” and in it they write this:

“Look for God in the small things. The snatched conversation you just had with the shop assistant, God was there; the hug you gave your grieving friend, God was there; the moment you took to smell the flowers, God was there; when you washed up after dinner, God was there. It isn’t that God wants to do the washing up for you or promise you that every washing up moment will be filled with joy but God may be telling you that if you spend those times that need little thought, in prayer and conversation with your Creator, then your life may be that bit richer and purposeful.”

I think I see what they are saying. Find God in the things around you, and savour them more than you perhaps to. They are the bright and glorious things of your life, and maybe you need more space to remember them. Never take God’s gifts in your life for granted.

In modern church life, I think there are two issues. First, we need to take in in order to give out. Rushing around, in the end, will lead to church exhaustion and disillusionment. I’ve ministered to those sorts of churches and it is tiring. Let’s not be frightened to spend more time together in prayer, in house groups, in reflecting where God is leading us, let’s seek God before we make decisions about anything. Let’s slow down! We too easily rush on to do church and leave God behind. A recent Church Council somewhere decided to have a five minute break before anyone moved to put kettles on and clang cups for coffee at the back of the church, to give us all time to reflect on what God has said in our service. What a simple innovation!

Then I am coming more and more to believe people are yearning for space and those of us responsible for churches should be more open  to allow people to come in them, or create opportunities for people to talk about deep things in life that bother them. Do we create spaces where people can come and punctuate their life with a glimpse of the divine? Can we meet people who yearn to find more to life than busyness and have you time to sit with them or is there too much to do?

The President of the Methodist Conference in her address after her induction said this:
"During the last year quite a few people have asked me what the theme of this address would be. My usual answer has been, "I am going to talk about God", it was truthful but not very informative. For those who would like the theme in a few words it is waiting expectantly for glimpses of glory.

You see, if it is true that God is with us and reaching out to us in love, wherever we are and whatever we are going through in our lives - then we should expect to glimpse the glory of God at any time and in any place. It is not just that we will be surprised by God, though in my experience this does happen, It is that we should expect to glimpse the glory of God, we should be an expectant people."

Finally, to punctuate the day, means we might have room for God to speak to us! Perhaps that is why some of us don’t leave the space because we are afraid what might happen. But if we try it, life may change. On my second week of holiday I went to Whitstable – what a lovely place! My last night was deliberately spent in reflection, a long walk and sitting looking at the sunset. In that time God spoke about my life, direction, a second year in my current role. It was a deeply powerful time. I needed it, so I recommend sitting waiting for the sunset next time you see one coming with your camera and just listen to the waves. God will come. As Mother Julian of Norwich once wrote, “The fullness of God is to behold God in everything.” He is there wherever you are. Remember finally, that lovely Scripture from Isaiah chapter 30: “In returning and rest, you shall be saved.”