The minister writes… from our October 2024 newsletter

Dear friends,

I have just been looking at resources for the Advent season and have been made aware (not for the first time) of how, in the necessity of planning ahead, there is a danger of losing sight of the present moment. The ever-circling round of the year draws us into each season’s own particular beauty but, just as we pause to acknowledge it, we find ourselves looking to the next one. The familiar patterns of nature are comforting, and maybe too the familiar patterns of the church seasons, but before we know it another Harvest, another Advent and another Christmas fly past and we’re looking at Lent and Easter. And I’m writing this for our October Newsletter!

There is a saying that time goes more quickly the older we get and whilst we know that the passage of time is a constant which cannot change, still it is scientifically proven that our perception of time alters as we age. Partly that is because a year is a much larger portion of a five-year old’s life than it is of an 85-year-old’s. But also, when we are younger we are learning new things every day. Our brains lay down memories when they are processing change and they mark the occasion. When we are older we can fall into routines which the brain doesn’t really need to register. So it is true that variety is the spice of life and if we want to get the most out of our lives, then we should challenge ourselves to learn new skills, to travel to new places, to seek experiences that are out of our usual comfort zone.

Another thing we are advised to do is to be more engaged and live ‘in the moment.’  We are encouraged to be mindful, to be mentally and physically aware of ourselves, our surroundings, and the task in hand. Which is not a bad thing to do but, if you are like me, you may find that what you most need is to get out into nature, to be close to God and to find inspiration in his creation. As William Henry Davies says in his poem, Leisure: What is this life if, full of care,
we have no time to stand and stare?

It doesn’t have to be a long walk and it doesn’t have to be vast mountains or splendid seascapes, or wonderful sunsets that we go seeking. God’s handiwork is all around us. Looking at the minutiae of life is itself a discovery in prayer. To quote William Blake, another great poet: To see a world in a grain of sand and a heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour……

 Something I learned on my sabbatical was that I (we) need to set side time to be with God, make space to breathe and pray. It is too easy for the hours and days to rush on by filled with ‘doing’, not ‘being’. God’s gift of time is so precious, we should not squander it. How will you turn your time today into his treasure?

With every blessing,

Sharon