Readings for this week:
Isaiah 40: 21-31
Mark 1 : 29-39

I love the Isaiah readings for its grandeur of vision about the greatness of God - but then the sense it gives that this great God cares for us and will use his greatness to lift us up when we most need it. Then Mark's gospel shows Jesus doing just that - no grandeur now, but the healing and caring is held in one human being.
I used the gospel reading during the week to help a meeting to reflect on its work - it seemed people could sympathise with Jesus' very Busy Day - and its meant to be Sabbath, too! Yet in all the demands, Jesus is clear 'this is what I came out to do - to proclaim the good news of the kingdom and to cast out demons' - which I take to mean clearing the ground, freeing people of what 'possesses' them, so that the can receive the good news of God's love.

Priorities, perspective... all these things are washing about in my head. And then I spotted on Facebook someone reading an article about 'the five regrets of the dying'. The article is here

The five top regrets are

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

2. I wish I didn't work so hard.

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

I am still processing how (if at all) these things connect to the good news of the kingdom & the lives of our churches and the people in them...
Looks like I need to do some hard thinking tomorrow..

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