‘See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God.’ (1 John 3:1)
Today is the first day when we have not been able to come together in worship and fellowship and I for one am struggling to come to terms with this, as I’m sure that you are too. However, this is something we all have to accept for the time being. Today is also Mother’s Day, a day that all families treasure as we would all normally, where possible, spend time with our Mums or remember the treasured memories of the past. It is a day for flowers and gifts too and a day to give thanks again for the safety of our Mums, but today this will only be possible at a distance, because we love them and want to protect them. One consolation is that today is such a beautiful day and whilst we may not be able to see Mums we can be sure that as they look out they will be able to see the beauty of God’s creation in our own gardens and that will bring a smile to their faces – knowing that they are not only loved by us but God too.
Over this past week, as I have glanced out of the manse window I have seen one of our Elder’s and her husband working hard in their beautiful garden – and that has helped uplift me during this somewhat surreal week. Of course during this hard work there has been the odd occasion when they stopped for a cuppa – and possibly a biscuit or cake – and that got me thinking of those who are working so tirelessly to provide us with the food that we need. Today, as well as our Mums I would ask you to pray for our local farmers, finding it difficult to get workers; those who deliver the food to our shops and supermarkets; those who restock the shelves and then sell the food on to us – it is a stressful time for them all.
We should also remember those of us who have family and friends in hospital, for a host of reasons, who are now unable to receive any visitors, and also for their families who I know are struggling with this – please keep them in your prayers.
There are so many needs in our world today and over the coming days we should all remember to pray. When I first came here to preach to the Nominating Committee my sermon was on prayer and that is what I, and all other ministers I know, base their ministry on. If we didn’t talk to God where would we be – and on that note I want to end with the words written on a plaque that I have in my study.
God is watching over you – I know because I asked Him too…