A wonderfully different service led by Rev’d Vicci to celebrate the Victorian Revival of Methodism in Windsor, many of the congregation dressed in styles of the Victorian era and enjoyed singing some of the beautiful old hymns and listened to a sermon by ‘Gypsy’ Smith. Cake and conversation followed this special time, if you missed it this year not to worry as it will be repeated!
Thought for the week by Rev’d Vicci Davidson
I wonder how many of you remember the old hymn:
When we walk with the Lord in the light of his Word
What a glory is shed on our way
When we do his good will, he abides with us still
And with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
It hasn’t made it into the new hymn book – perhaps the sentiments are too Victorian – but I have been thinking about it quite a lot this week as we have seen the fuel shortage problem roll out across the country. There was an initial breach of confidentiality in the leaking of the story anyway, but from then on, a lack of trust in government voices telling us that there is enough fuel if we just continue to buy as normal, and perhaps lack of trust in each other, since we can see people are not buying as normal, has resulted in massive queues at the pumps. Even where we are not looking to buy petrol at all, journey times have been exaggerated to the point that a trip that should have taken me between 15 and 20 minutes on Saturday morning ended up taking me 80 minutes as I got caught in successive tailbacks.
This is not the place for commentary on contemporary British politics, but God’s Kingdom demands of us that we trust his Word and are obedient to his counsel. I am lucky in that I had just filled up my car a couple of days before all of this started and so am able to hold the line and not join the panicstricken fuel buying, but I can see that it is hard to trust that things will be okay quickly and my family are getting increasingly concerned about how they get to work if it carries on for much longer. Yet we know we can trust God’s word, that we are loved, that we matter, that the world matters and that there is enough – enough to eat, enough to drink, enough to wear and enough worry for the day, but not to borrow worry from tomorrow. As many of you will have learned it in the King James version: “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” or as the NRSV has it: Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:34)
God bless,
Vicci