falling apart

Someone said to me today that it seemed like the whole congregation's falling apart.

The fact that the person was in hospital is incidental. It was surgery the person was in for, not psychotherapy. The person hasn't 'lost it'.

I was quick to correct her, though.

"Just falling," I said. Quickly. "Not falling apart."

There's a difference.

It must be the time of year. Or the weather. Or something like that.

There are certainly quite a number of follk who've had a fall and ended up in hospital. Broken bones and surgery.

So I was way off out to the Royal today, the other side of town, to see some of them. And one of the side wards was full of these women who'd, all of them, suffered a fall and broken their hips and required a bit of surgery.

I include them all when I pray. And I try and have a chat with each as well.

One of them said it's all to do with getting old.

Which is probably true. Though I didn't like to say so to her face.

These accidents easily happen. No matter the age. Though the older you are, I guess the more easily broken the bones get to be.

And the 'falling apart' of a whole congregation? Well, I guess that easily happens as well.

That's why it's always important to learn how to live God's way.

I was in at the Scouts in the evening. With Remembrance Sunday coming up they were doing some work this evening on the theme. They wanted me in to explain a little bit about it all.

Which I did. Including how important it is to be guarding against the things that mean we end up falling out with one another. Since once that starts to happen, well, things tend to fall apart.

I think they got the message. They were unusually quiet anyway!

From there it was on to a meeting of the Edinburgh Network of Eco-congregations. Not that we're formally an eco-congregation. We haven't passed the test or been assessed or anything like that.

But we share the same concerns and are committed to the same ends.

And are learning to live God's way. Since, if we don't, then the whole thing (meaning the planet) begins to fall apart.