Got up this morning to stagger through to the shower, only to discover that my back is still twisted up from a fall I had during the week. (The result of an argument with my desk and a swivel chair.)
It quickly became clear that I was not going to make it to church. And just in case you’re wondering where our little rural church sits in relation to The Perfect Church, can I just say it is very nearly there. I can say that happily, because I am not the Minister, nor even one of the “workers” – I simply attend when I can, and am nourished by the sense of belonging and being close to God and one another.
After HBTW departed for church I hobbled through to the study to have a Quiet Time. I gave up the idea of looking for a service online or on radio/TV. To be absolutely honest I was a bit too sore; some anti-inflammatories and a cup of coffee enabled me to grumble my way through Sacred Space and the Iona Community prayers. Misty took herself off to bed, she doesn’t seem to appreciate the liturgy – she’s too big to fit on my lap along with the prayer books anyway.
Before long, HBTW arrived home. I was wondering whether I would be able to hold up the Sunday paper to read it, when he – looking very pleased with himself – flourished a CD and an order of service. It seemed that as I could not go to church, church came to me. How wonderful. I was being a guinea-pig to trial the next innovation from our lively bunch. It was quickly set up and we settled down to listen – Misty jumped up on the sofa and listened intently. Goodness, it was almost like being there, and I had a picture of people’s faces in front of me throughout the service. The biggest advantage, in terms of having my own local service recorded, was that I could relate to the prayers which were personal to our area.
But there’s more to this story……. after the cd was finished I came through to the computer to send an email to one or two people to say thanks. Whereupon, I found a message from one of my blogging community with a link to her post on God’s care and love evidenced by the stars – Look up and see the stars. You can read it here. Come to think of it, this comes from one of the psalms. The important thing for me is that I was reminded that with God all things are possible. My grumbly mood and sense of isolation was well and truly chased away by the local service and by a blogger 500 miles away.
There’s no way to end this except by saying thanks.
