Friends

As we all return from leave, I have been reflecting on the need for rest, the God-given opportunity for rest, and the way in which we struggle to take it in our stressful times.

My nana prepared the Sunday lunch on Saturday afternoon.

Carefully she peeled the potatoes,

Scrubbed the carrots, shelled the peas,

Prepared the chicken, removing the giblets

Filling it with stuffing, rubbing the flesh with lemon and butter

Covering it loosely with tin-foil and placing everything in the fridge

The potatoes in their own bowl of water to prevent discolouration

The pudding prepared,

The whole meal needing only the application of heat.

In the morning, the chicken in the oven on a time

And the whole family off to church

With anxious glances at watches

If an over-enthusiastic preacher strayed too far

Beyond the glorious, golden hour of worship.

Such days, such preparation brought a rhythm to the week

That we perhaps lack in these busy, pre-packed, pre-packaged days,

But still if we listen, we may yet hear the voice of God wondering

Will they trust me to provide

For one day of rest in these times of travel and of travail?

God bless,

Vicci