one thing needful

'One thing is needful,' Jesus once said to a woman who was pretty much tearing her hair out with all she was having to do.

There are times when I know how she felt!

Three funeral services between Monday and Tuesday mean the week is immediately contracted.

Occasions such as this take time. They are sore, but sacred times in the lives of those who grieve, and the grieving can't be rushed.

There's not just the time involved in the service itself (an hour and a half at least by the time all the travel's included - and that's before you add in any 'after-service' event, to which I sometimes go).

Nor just the time involved in thorough preparation for the worship that's involved (which is a good deal longer - quite apart from anything else, I write up in every case a full verbatim manuscript of the address that I will give, and that can take a good few hours of solid preparation).

But on top of that there are visits as well to be made. And they take time and can't be rushed. Both before and after and far beyond.

Every one takes time. And I'm glad to give them the time that they need.

Because, as I say, such times as this are sacred ground for all the different families involved. Ground on which you tread carefully, slowly and with a patient reverence.

But it means, of course, that other things have to get dropped. Or postponed.

There's only a finite amount of time each day. And we simply can't do everything.

This is becoming a bit of a pressing issue. Something I've grown to be more and more keenly conscious of these past few months.

Most of the folk who've died in the last few weeks have all been in their eighties. And back in the summer, reflecting on things, it crossed my mind that the 'weight' of our congregation's life at this time is now up in that eighty-plus bracket.

A large, large number of folk in our midst who are up in their latter years.

A lot of them fit and healthy, of course. But they won't go on for ever. None of us do, in this life.

Their needs increase. They're not so able as once they were to be doing the things they did. It takes them longer to get things done. And they don't get out so much.

The ordinary business of living each day has become that bit more of an effort.

And instead of their being so fully involved themselves, they're now very much in need of encouragement, comfort and help.

Instead of visiting others themselves, they value a visit themselves. Instead of providing their care to their families and friends, they're now more and more in need of that care themselves.

We're talking big numbers here, within our congregation's life. The 80+ people form a sizeable group.

And I'm just not that sure we're all that equipped to minister as we should to this important age-band in our fellowship.

Folk who've given years and years of dedicated service to the Lord.

Folk who've fought the fight and run the race and are simply now looking for help just a bit as they struggle towards the line.

It's one of the things that we're grappling with here at this time. Adjusting ourselves to be able to meet all the needs that there are.

I don't do it well. At least not as I'd like to be doing it.

I'm simply so conscious of areas of need we're not really touching at all. Because we can't do everything. Even though we'd like to, and as often as not are trying to.

Pastoring the elderly. Ministering to the middle-aged (weighed down with all the challenges of caring for their children and their ageing parents too). Comforting the grieving. Counselling the troubled and confused. Building up the battered and the bruised.

And all the while engaging with the folk in our community to share with them the good news of our Lord.

Trying to build the bridges that will open up the roads into their hearts.

Building up relationships of trust which bit by bit encourage folk to step out rather gingerly along the path of faith.

We simply can't do everything. Not I myself. Nor all of us together here.

So our Leadership Team is asking some searching questions right now. Like what in particular in these days does the Lord look to us be to doing?

If we can't do everything, what is the 'one thing' that's needful?