Words from Bede Circuit

Dear Friends

Hoping you are keeping well.

Prepare a way for the Lord

A preacher one Sunday approached the pulpit with the words of the Gospel ringing in his ears: ‘Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.’ A thought suddenly struck him: ‘It’s not the Lord’s paths that need to be straightened but ours.’

From the pulpit he looked into the expectant faces of the women and men before him and wondered what these words might mean for them. What were the things that needed to be straightened out in their lives? He realised that only they could answer that. Nevertheless, there was one area he felt qualified to speak about – their own twisted and tangled relationships.

As we journey through Advent, if there is some crooked attitude, or some crooked way of behaving that needs to be straightened out in our lives, let us try to do so. But we mustn’t think that the Lord won’t come to us unless we are perfect. If we were perfect, God wouldn’t need to come at all. God comes because we are imperfect in need of redemption. He comes because we are his wounded children in need of healing. What we need is the humility and trust to show him our imperfections and wounds.

There are those who say we shouldn’t display weakness because it doesn’t create respect, and therefore it is better to bear our burden in secret. But an understanding of our pain, makes it possible for us to offer our own experience as a source of healing to others. Those who don’t disguise their struggles, but who live through them with the help of God, give hope to others.

Prayer; Teach us Lord, how to take care of our material needs without neglecting our spiritual needs; how to take care of ourselves without neglecting others; and how to live joyfully in this world without losing sight of the world to come.

With good wishes
Revd Huw Sperring on behalf of the Bede Circuit Staff