Rich clothes for a festival.

You know what it is like. You see the sign "Closing Down. Everything must go" and all you can do is go in. I fell for that this summer. There was a dress in the window which I liked so in I went. Well the bright red dress in the window and I were not the same same and neither was another bright red dress but they did have a fawn one that fitted quite well. A very different sort of dress. It was a great bargain- a rich dress that I could afford. I bought it and wore it to the wedding.

Two versions of verse 4 are rich garments and festal clothes. Special clothes to signify our new relationship with God. The relationship that exists after he has taken off the clothing of our sin. I think this makes me want to wear my best clothes all the time.

Jesus is coming to dinner

I don't have to invite him. He is coming anyway. In fact it probably would not occur to me to invite him- he's somewhere out there- not in my daily life.

He says that he is already standing at the door and knocking. Oh, dear. What's in the fridge that I can make into something presentable for a king? Panic. What shall I do? Dither. Perhaps if I stand in a quandary long enough the knocking will stop and he will go away and I can carry on with what I was doing.

I wonder what he wanted to say to me? What was that thought that would not quite come into my conscientiousness?

Today is a day for new beginnings

There was an envelope lurking in one of the dining table piles. In it I found the CD of photographs which Sharon had taken whilst we were in Wyoming. In Wyoming we rested and we walked. We ate and we talked. It was a time away from work and the piles on the dining room table. It was a time to renew or at least recharge our energy batteries.

But in fact every day is a day for a new beginning. Today I am starting the rest of my life. Every day is a birthday when we should celebrate the life that we have been given. It is a day to rejoice. A day give thanks for the wonderful world in which we live. A day to thank God that He is here, with us. We have our own special reasons for celebrating.

Of course there is the flip side-responsibility. Responsibility for maintaining the planet. World peace will not exist without humans being peaceable, Responsibility to be with God since he is with me...

Moses- murderer and divorcee.

Moses' name cropped up in the gospel today and then in something else (Scripture Union, Closer to God- paper version) that I was reading. Moses of burning bush fame, the man God had earmarked to lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. The man who later talked to God face to face as a man speaks with his friend. (Exodus 33:11) This is the same Moses who killed an Egyptian, maybe as a result of racial aggression, thought it was OK and when he found that it was not, ran away. He married an alien though of course it was not taboo when he did it as he had yet to write, with God's help, the foundation of the Law. Moses worked long hours and neglected his wife and family. His wife took the sons and left, not once but twice.

And yet Moses planted the Ten Commandment in Moses' heart and talked with him face to face as a man speaks with his friend.

God accepted Moses as a friend. Moses accepted God as a friend.

God placed Moses in a position of authority.

We search the scriptures to find the rules for our leaders, who can, who cannot, male, female, legally pure. We have a long list and it changes from church to church as we choose to interpret what we read.

But God chose Moses and Moses chose God. and they talked face to face as a man speaks with his friend.

May I have the love of God in me.

Burning Bush, Common Presbyterian Logo, created by theKeith

Don't stop to think.

Our main route to Brussels is through a little forest. Between our village and the next town there is the deer warning sign. Deer can do a lot of damage to themselves and the car with which they coincide.

We were once driving between Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks at dusk when an elk decided that it had to cross the road. The driver of the car which hit the elk was really shaken. We do not know what happened to the elk as it turned and ran back into the forest.

I always hope, particularly at night that a deer does not cross my route because I would be doing too fast to prevent a casualty. Deer just don't STOP, LOOK, LISTEN before they cross the road. If they want to cross the road then cross they do.

What am I equally bent on achieving? What makes me put down everything so that I can concentrate on the ONE which keeps me going? What do I just HAVE to do? I hope it is no longer Sudoku. Hopefully for at least Advent it is sharing my stories of Jesus.

Simple arches, simple prayer

Yesterday I went to England for the day. It's not so far really. I drove, I took a friend. We went to Canterbury, to the cathedral.

Even though I instinctively gravitate towards the more contemporary style of worship ancient places of worship always have a special place in my heart. The fact that people have been quietly moving about the space, silently praying for a thousand years is an awesome thought.

We sat in the Chapel of the Holy Innocents in the crypt of the cathedral. A Romanesque space, simple arches simply decorated, simple spirals on short stout columns.

The masons who carved them rested from their labours, I was resting from my walking. How many others had rested in that same space? From what were they resting? What was their prayer - in the silence conversing with God?

The masons carved those pillars with an axe, the chisel had not yet been invented. Work done to the Glory of God. And it still is. I shared their space. May my work be to Your Glory too.

Photograph

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Your time, my time

Five verses each four lines long so when we get through two lines of the third verse we are half way through. They say that the average time for a hymn is seven minutes. Now I need a piece of paper- the service sheet will suffice- good job they provide pencils in the pews- what was it that I want to buy, need to do this afternoon?

Unfortunately these are all thoughts and actions of mine during a Sunday Service. What difference is there between me and Amos' audience?

I could at least devote the time that I am in church to God then perhaps later we can work on 24/7.