Monday 13 December 2021

Little Town

 a reflection on Micah 5:2 

Just a little town
Not much more than a village really
A cluster of houses,
A merchant, and a baker
Some shepherds and a wood worker
A wee synagogue where the Rabbi read the scriptures 
and the people hung on his every word 
just a little town, that no one really took notice of

A prophet wrote about it once you know
but that was generations back; 
and nothing ever came of it
it was all a bit mysterious anyway
what could it mean?

An ancient prophecy about a birth
It means nothing
It means something
Who knows? 
It’s been a long time since prophets and prophecies
And what good can come from a wee backwater anyway?

Just a little town,
One of the towns of David’s tribe
But that was long ago
And no one really remembers
And no one really believes anymore
Do they?

It’s poor and mean and lowly
Just a collection of small houses, 
with a merchant and a baker
not much room for anyone there
a tiny inn
and a small synagogue with a Rabbi
who reads the holy words
and tries his best to communicate the 
mysteries of God  

And you – O Ephrathah
you, O Bethlehem
that little town,
that noble city
you will be remembered

And you, O little one
will house the holy one of God
you will welcome, in your darkened streets,
the Light of the World 
though you will not know it
and you may deny it, 

but the little ones,
the forgotten ones
the ignored ones
they will know
they will hear
Gloria! Gloria! Glory to God! 
Sung from the heavens down to earth
To the little town
the cluster of houses,
a merchant, and a baker
some shepherds and a wood worker
The holy town
That the world will never forget 



Friday 5 March 2021

Taking Care...

 Yesterday I recieved my first Covid vaccination.

It was pretty much painless and straightforward. Arrive, check in, wait in line, called to a booth with a nurse. answer a few health questions. Then get your injection.

The blue envelope had arrived last week, so we had a good 10 days notice, easy to make sure the diary was free; I cannot think of anything that would have prevented me from attending. 

When the envelope arrived I had tweeted a picture! It really was that big a deal; and almost immediatley I received a message from my contact in the church comms team: would I be willing to have my photo taken having my jag? Could it be used to help promote the notion of accepting the invitation to vaccination? 

Naturally I agreed; it feels like the whole church has shared my Covid journey via the Fair Question interview I had, and a whole range of contacts that sprang from then.

I have catalogued my Long Covid journey, so yesterday was really the final chapter - or at least the beginning of the final chapter, dose two comes in May.

2021 has brought better health; my energy is back, my sleep pattern restored, I feel like myself again. I still have days when my phantosmia and parosmia are high... that's things smelling strange, or smelling things that are not there! phantom smoke is the strongest and coffee tasting strange. 

So, I asked the nurse if I could take a picture of the jag? She checked with her manager, who not only thought it was a good idea, she came and took the photos for me! 

I am amazed that there are people who are not taking up the invite. This vaccine is our hope for the future: people have used thier God-given gifts and talents to develop the vaccine so that we can be protected. It makes sense. It helps us, and it will in the long term help others. 

Take care of yourself: keep safe and well. Take up the invitation for protection for you and those whom you love.

I am looking forward now to better days; to being able to see the family and our frends, to getting out and about and enjoying God's creation. 

I am looking forward to throwing open the church doors and welcoming people back so that we can join together and sing praises to God. 


Wednesday 3 February 2021

Healing Touch

 It is a while since I published any of my sermons here; they are now available via my YouTube Channel as part of Larbert West's weekly worship service, and I simply haven't thought about it. 

Until today. I have just finished the "sermonette" which will be posted and emailed out to those who cannot access YouTube, and somehow, I was minded to think about the sermon blog. So here I am! 



This is the sermon for Sunday 7 February (the spoken version will be fuller) 

Sermon – Healing Touch 

We are approaching the days of anniversary; it is now 12 months since the threat of this foreign virus began to really impact what we did and where we went. But even then, we really did not comprehend just what would transpire over the following months.

There are obvious things we missed; and there are some not so obvious, I don’t think it ever dawned on me that I would so miss just having the chance to sit and chat about nothing in particular.

Our lexicon has adapted; we now have words that have become part of our every day – zoom, video chat, online worship; who knew that facemasks and hand sanitiser would become such vital everyday tools?! 

There are other deeper things too. Missing the touch of loved ones - feeling outside of everything. Not going to concerts – live music – theatre. I know that you too will have things to add to the list.

This year has made us realise the value of love and friendship more than ever – bringing truth to the old adage “you’ll miss me when I’m gone!”

Jesus lived in a time when it was considered unwise to touch anyone who was unwell or diseased. There was no sanitation, no reliable antibiotics, no doctors and nurses with the skills and tools for healing and care. But Jesus knew also, that the power of a gentle touch could not be underestimated. Jesus took the time to care. To touch. To heal. 

 Jesus brought a new way of caring to the people (and love, and hope, and connection and value…) and the people responded. The need they had to be known and valued was quite probably unknown even to themselves. Until that moment when it was offered, and they suddenly realised what they had been missing. 

Jesus gave of himself in both word and action. It was physically, emotionally and spiritually draining. Jesus knew also the importance of taking time for refreshment; time with God; time to set up for the day ahead.

And so we hear in today’s reading, “In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed…”

We then hear that the disciples came and disturbed him, blustering in, where have you been? People are looking for you! In my mind I imagine Jesus stifling a sigh, offering a silent goodbye to his Father, and smiling to his friends. Maybe even knowing that before long they would observe that prayer seemed important to him, and then finally asking him to teach them how to pray. 

But for now, Jesus knows that it is time to move again, time to reach out to the next town, the next crowd, to share with them, something special, something beautiful, something precious. Love, acceptance and hope through time and prayer and a healing touch. So that everywhere he went, people would know that God’s love was there for everyone. Everyone included, without exception.