Drought

As I look out over the grassland that runs parallel to the West Shore of Llandudno, I see nothing but uninterrupted brown. Even the hearts of the dandelions and other weeds are becoming charred and shrivelled. It is an unusual sight, because usually you see an endless expanse of green. Parched land in our British Isles comes as something of a shock.

We humans keep going in heatwaves - though I must admit more sluggishly in my case. I don’t do heat. But our minds and spirits still remain active.

In a time of pressure in the wilderness of Judah King David sang this:

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee,
my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. (Psalm 63:1-7 AV)

(I quote from the old version because I love that memorable line, “... in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is”!)

David - maybe following a sleepless night - is up early to seek God. He may be anxious about lack of supplies in a dry desert place, but God is his priority. Often when Christians visit lands in poor and straitened circumstances, people are at least as keen to have the written word of God as other provisions, even though Bible verses will not fill their bellies.

In the midst of his wilderness experience, David thought back to something that had occurred to him in the sanctuary where he worshipped God. He had had a vision of God’s glory that clearly moulded his life in a very profound way that carried him through bad times. It is like when the eminent 16th-century Protestant Reformer Martin Luther was in great heaviness of spirit after he had lit the touch-paper for the Reformation. He was under unremitting pressure from many sides. He defiantly chalked on a board, “I have been baptised”. He may have been going through hard times, but, after all, he had been counted in Christ’s community of the redeemed, and that gave him an awareness that he was a child of God.

During bitter times in my ministry, I have turned to my calling, many years ago, which was quite dramatic. God had called me in a startling and emphatic way, and nobody now was going to deny my title to a place in His ministry.

Above all, when in wilderness moments, I find myself thinking of the last verse of a very precious hymn by William Cooper, “Sometimes a light surprises”:

Though vine nor fig tree neither
their wonted fruit should bear,
though all the field should wither,
nor flocks nor herds be there,
yet God the same abiding,
His praise shall tune my voice;
for while in Him confiding,
I cannot but rejoice.

Mercifully right now Llandudno is delightful despite the heatwave, hopes are high and the abnormally dry spell isn’t about to darken my well contented mood!

Comradeship and Craft

The weather was simply too warm for the people who wanted to attend our Craft Show. Not that any high temperatures were showing on the thermometer. It was just that, though the sun was shining brightly, the air was humid and heavy. It was a pity, because the show really was a joy.

We had ten or so exhibitors plus a local ukulele band and a stall run by the charity we were supporting that day. It was a real delight to see them all enjoying each other’s company even though there were not that many visitors to attend to. Each had brought a different skill and they simply appreciated each other.

It brought to mind a recent article by Keila Ochoa in Our Daily Bread. It is a reflection on the Jews who worked side by side to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

In ancient times, a city with broken walls revealed a defeated people, exposed to danger and shame. That is why the Jews rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. How? By working side by side, an expression that can well describe Nehemiah 3.

At first glance, chapter 3 might appear to be a boring account of who did what in the reconstruction. However, a closer look highlights how people worked together. Priests were working alongside rulers. Perfume-makers were helping as well as goldsmiths. There were some who lived in nearby towns and came to give a hand. Others made repairs opposite their houses. Shallum’s daughters, for example, worked alongside the men (3:12), and some people repaired two sections, like the men of Tekoa (vv. 5, 27).

Two things stand out from this chapter. First, they all worked together for a common goal. Second, all of them are commended for being part of the work, not for how much or little they did as compared to others.

Today we see damaged families and a broken society. But Jesus came to build the kingdom of God through the transformation of lives. We can help to rebuild our neighborhoods by showing others they can find hope and new life in Jesus. All of us have something to do. So let us work side by side and do our part—whether big or small—to create a community of love where people can find Jesus.

My time with the lovely friends it’s been my privilege to pastor for just under three years is coming towards an end. With it, the work of the church itself is also soon to be wound up. But I will always remember the generous, co-operative spirit that has prevailed here. I dare to say that it has rubbed off on those who come among us. And when two work together they may be surprised to find a third moving among them:

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil … a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9 and 12, ESV)