Monday, February 18, 2013

Maybe its time to sit and wait

I realised the other day that I have blogged less and less as this year has gone by. Not sure whether this is because I have less to say or whether its because I have less time. Might even be both!

Anyway, I have been preparing a sermon over the past couple of days based on Psalm 27. Now, I keep being reminded that it is important to look at scripture in context, but I'm going to break this rule and give you final verse of the Psalm, which has really got me thinking. (If you want to put it into context well why not open a Bible, or even just put Psalm 27 into Goggle.)

Psalm 27.14 
“Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the L
ORD.”



Why has it got me thinking? Well I seem to be running around like a headless chicken at the moment. I cross things of a list then add ten more things to that same list. Life is so full but if I don’t spend time waiting on God, what’s it all for? If I don’t spend time waiting on God, am I actually missing the point?

Then again to ‘wait for the LORD’ seems very open ended. How long do I have to wait? Today, tomorrow, next week are all looking busy, I don’t have time to just sit and wait? This I think is an excuse we use far to regularly against why we can’t sit and wait on God, but I wonder what would happen if we did just stop and wait?

I fear that now is not the time to experiment, but maybe in my first sabbatical!

Friday, February 1, 2013

Lack of sleep...

I should be currently reading about the Catholic Reformation and not writing my blog, but it has been a long week and I keep getting distracted so I might as well get distracted in a slightly productive way.

This week it was my turn to be assessed on my delivery of worship and preaching. Now, to say I have been a jibbering wreck about this for weeks is a slight over exaggeration, but I have lost sleep over it. You would think having spent time now on placement in a church where though I wasn't delivering a sermon every week, I was involved with the leading of worship, this wouldn't phase me. But preaching in chapel to your peers and the College Senatus is a whole different ball game. These people are really going to tell you what they think at the door and not just shake your hand and say "lovely hymn choice, vicar".

BUT WHY should I loose sleep over preaching in chapel and not over preaching out in the church? Yes, it is different, but should I not give the same attention and care to the worship I craft wherever I deliver it? Now before people think I'm putting myself down, I know the effort I put in to Thursday was no different from what I would have put in if I had been preaching this Sunday to a congregation of complete strangers. I guess what I am musing is that I wish sometimes I did occasionally loose sleep over preparing for a Sunday, rather than just for this one Thursday a year.

 So here's to lack of sleep... may it be a frequent visitor when wrestling with Scripture :o)