dance and tapestry

It was school again, first thing, today.

I was on my way, and running late (literally) when a man I know called after me - You don't have to run, you know!

Little did he know. I did have to run. I was late.

And it felt like that all day. Running. Just to keep up with it all. And most of the time feeling late.

No wonder the Lord speaks of walking all the time. We live too fast. And try to pack just far too much into our days. Or so it seems.

But then I'm thinking there were surely days when Jesus too had barely half a moment to himself. It may have been walking, the way he lived his life: but some of the time I think it was really pretty much 'power'-walking.

I mean, the guy got around and managed to do a fair old whack in the course of a single day. Not rushed. But busy all right.

So I don't feel bad when I've had a day as busy as this has been. It's just the way it is, sometimes. Like some old-time, ballroom dancing sort of thing. Slow, slow, quick, quick, slow.

Life can be lived as a dance like that. I think that's pretty much how Jesus lived his life. Moving with the music of eternity. Sometimes slow and measured; and sometimes quick and action-packed and leaving us all breathless with the speed with which he gets things done.

If life is a dance, today was a quick-step for sure.

In at the school, first thing, as I say. A P4-7 assembly, with some of the children from P7 giving their own presentation.

They'd done a survey through the upper school and found that among the pupils there were 15 different languages they spoke (none of which was Glaswegian in case you were wondering!). It's quite a thought, the extent to which a school like this is now intrinsically multi-cultural.

Anyway, they'd come up with a list of 'key statements' relating to ensuring racial equality within the life of the school. And because these statements all were written by the children of P7, it was really quite moving to see their commitment to peace and to equality.

The Head is doing a brilliant job, I have to say.

From there it was on, to a meeting, at quite some length, to try and resolve some difficult issues which have threatened to start runing wild.

It's good through times like that to be aware of God himself being always very present with us all. Unseen, unheard, but always there. Helping to resolve the thing when any resolution seems impossible.

It isn't just in high, exalted moments in our worship here on Sundays that the Lord is known. It's mostly in the awkwardness and nitty-gritty problems life throws up.

So, a lengthy meeting tackling things like that. Then on from that to yet another meeting. This time about The Lot (the place up town).

I sometimes think that what we're trying to do up there is rather like a pioneering farmer in the days of old. Breaking up new ground. Ploughing up terrain that's been an overgrown, uncultivated wilderness for years.

We're trying to farm the future, as it were. Trying to figure out what following Christ might look like when the mould we have adopted over many, many centuries, is finally removed.

It's exciting and tough. But I think we made progress again. And it left me enthused and eager to keep pressing on.

We had to close abruptly (I mean, we could have gone on for hours I think, it was just so good!) since the midweek lunchtime service was about to start.

And from there it was back to the office to meet with a couple with the skills and the knowledge to help with a problem we've got with our database. Computers are great when they work. But when they don't they're a bind!

At least, they 'bind us together', I guess. They were glad to help and they're off to suss it out, I think. So maybe there'll be progress on that front.

But I had to leave them at it since another meeting beckoned. And after that some other folk to see. And about four o'clock it crossed my mind I hadn't had my lunch. It was that sort of day, as I say!

And it just went on like that, with things to do and folk to see tiny little moments here and there to give some thought to what the Lord is eager to be saying to us all this coming Sunday as we join again for worship.

His word is always running through my mind. And it's almost as if, the way such days as this have been, it's almost as if the Lord himself just weaves this word through all the different parts the day involves.

And thereby sort of slowly gives a sort of picture of the message he imparts. Like the threads of his truth are woven into something like a tapestry. Because it's all been earthed in all the day by day complexities and cussedness of life.

The more I see this tapestry emerging through the week, the more I am excited by it all!