Expecting God’s Presence in Our Everday Work What if God showed up in your workplace today, would you notice? In this thought-provoking reflection, Georgie revisits Moses’ encounter with God in the burning bush and challenges our assumptions about where and how we meet with Him. From hospital wards to office desks, she reminds us that, […]
It sounds like a fairy tale beginning yet it is true to say that, ‘once upon a time’, products were made to last and in times of scarcity, people needed to make things last. Nowadays, partly due to rapidly changing technologies, ‘planned obsolescence’ and customer expectations for the latest model, things we buy have much […]
The fastest known thing in the universe is the speed of light which is 186,000 miles per second. An email makes it to the other side of the planet at nearly half the speed of light which is 670,616,629 mph. A slower means of communication is the post, also known as ‘snail mail’. Most postal systems aim for 1st Class items to be delivered the next working day, though obviously longer for international mail. Snails can travel just over one mph and so can cover 25 metres in the 24 hours! The longest time elapsed between a letter being posted and its delivery is 89 years. This was received in December 2008 by Janet Barrett, a guest-house owner in Weymouth, Dorset, UK and was an RSVP to a Boxing Day party invitation, which had been posted on 29 November 1919. The message inside read:
Have you noticed the four major contrasts in the story which we belong to and which belongs to us as Christians? There is God who is also Man and Father who is also Son. Confused? But then we have the Lion who is also a Lamb and the King who is also the Servant. How about the contrasting sub themes – dead and alive, mercy and justice, flesh and spirit, now and the future, light and dark, free will and predestination, heaven and hell? Have you got it all worked out? Do you grasp a bit more of it than you once did? Can you see the big picture or is it a little blurred? Where do you fit in? So many questions so time for some answers!
The central character is God who calls us to join him in this story and make it ours. So we see boat-builders, prophets, shepherds, angels, warriors, fishermen, and ordinary men, women and children woven into the Big Story – people like you.
Do you have music in your heart? Take a moment to consider what is playing – heavy drums and pounding bass of the world that drown out your inner soul-space or another music? We all listen to something, even if we are hard of hearing there will be some inner music. Apparently there is music in space: just listen to the sound recorded on this YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQL53eQ0cNA. Who is writing the tune, making the instruments and conducting the universal sounds?! Each one of us is an instrument in this cosmic pattern and makes a sound that is either in harmony or discordant, never mind the body sounds that ‘electronic tattoos’ are now able to pick up – each of us has a unique sound signature!
Life is made up of a rich tapestry – dark and light threads, bright and dull colours, rough and smooth textures. You may have heard it said, turn the cloth one way and it is messy, a bit ugly with tied knots and makes little sense; but then, turn it over, and it is a fine woven lovingly embroidered tapestry telling a beautiful life story. Do you see your life as a work of art full of worship and wonder or as a mess? The Embroiderer calls us to a relationship where the wonder brings out the worship. Or as Thomas Carlisle puts it: ‘Wonder is the basis of worship’.
