God's spring

Normal service will (hopefully) be resumed.

But I'm not that confident. I thought, and hoped, the rather hectic nature of these past few days might now at last be past. But, as I say, I'm not that sure.

There are times in the year when nature just seems to erupt.

On Thursday last week our sycamore tree had barely a hint of a leaf. And by Sunday the colour was there. All of a sudden, everything seems to be pushing its way into bloom.

I think there are periods like that in the ongoing work of the Lord. Times when it all seems to happen and there's hardly a moment to breathe.

This past wee while has been a bit like that.

Not that they haven't been good, these last few days. And not that there's not been much I might have written about. It's just that there hasn't been time. Not a moment at all.

Today, I thought things might begin to settle down a bit and give a bit of breathing space.

I was wrong!

There was, of course, the service of thanksgiving for the life of Betty R in the morning. Despite her being some 88 years old there was a large, large number of people at the service which her family held.

I'd done most of the preparation late last night. I knew there would not be the time today with a 10am start for the service. But there was the time to work it through again in the clearer, fresher light of day and tidy up a little bit or two.

The service was great. Her niece had been asked to say some things and she spoke in a way that quite captured just who Betty was. A series of little anecdotes which built a lovely picture of her aunt.

And I had the chance to sort of shine the light of Scripture on her life and pull its many strands together in a way that gave cohesion to it all. She was really quite a character. It was good to be able to take some time remembering her like that.

The school was next. The SU group which meets each week at lunch.

For the first time there were three of the primary 5s. A little bit excitable and I ended up in charge of their small group. It was great to see them there, even though their minds were far from concentrated on the passage we were looking at.

They were always going on about 'panic attacks'. And they thought it hilarious to think that when the crowds were big and were pressing around Jesus, then he had maybe had a panic attack himself.

A slightly creative interpretation of the Scripture text perhaps. But at least they were there and thinking about it all! It was really quite exciting to see them there.

When I was signing out, however, I learned that the guy who's run the football there for donkeys' years - he'd died quite suddenly this morning.

He and his wife and family have been here in the area for many, many years. I think everyone must know him. He talked to everyone, apart from anything else! And was so much involved in so many different things, especially the football in the schools.

He was a lovely, warm and energetic man. So full of life, it seemed. And then this news - Jim Goodwillie dead.

It was really quite a shock.

By the end of the day the 'funeral count' was already again back up to two and a half. (The 'half' because the lady hasn't died, but I'm sure will shortly do so in a day or so).

It was night time before I got round to seeing these folk.

The readings for our morning services through the course of May and June were long since overdue, so I spent some time in the afternoon getting these sets of readings sorted out.

Then out at night to the Boys Brigade and their annual 'Parents Night'. A super time of fun and laughs as they put on a show of the range of different things they do through the year.

Jane, the lady who runs it all, has not had her troubles to seek these last few years. But she does an amazing job. And I was glad to see there were good numbers out. It made for an entertaining evening.

But I had to leave quite sharp.

I'd had another message on the answer machine at tea (actually, I think I had five), alerting me to the fact that an elderly lady I know quite well was really failing fast.

So I headed off down to the Hospice, as soon as the BB thing was done. The lady is really very frail. A lovely, gentle, quietly-spoken woman with a heart of gold. She seemed quite peaceful and I was glad of the chance to sit and talk with her for quite a while.

Not that she maybe heard that much. Her eyes were closed (and I doubt they'll open again), and her breathing now quite slow.

But they always say the hearing's the last thing to go, so - as I say - I simply sat and spoke with her and read some bits of Scripture and then prayed God's gentle blessing on the ending of her life.

Then from the dieing to the dead. I called by on Jim's home to see his wife. One of his daughters, too, was there.

Again, it was good to be able to talk. To talk about his life and all the things he'd done and who he was and why he was the way he was. And all the talking sort of teases out the sorrow and the grief and I think his wife and daughter felt the better for it all.

And closing a time like that with an all-encompassing prayer is always very special. A sacred sort of moment in a sorrow-laden day.

I sometimes watch the beech hedges at this time of year. The old leaves all of a sudden all fall off as the new ones begin to appear.

It happens that quick. And all at once.

And I think these days are pretty much like that. God's spring has maybe arrived!