Counting Down

Today I made the last of my visits to the congregations in which I have trained during the past 6 years. It was great to see everybody and they made me feel very welcome.

However, it was also a poignant experience, knowing that for some of the folk I saw today, or maybe even many of them, it will be the last time we meet each other.

That has been a feature of the past few months really. Folk we have known, perhaps just at a surface level, or perhaps more deeply, we will no longer see or meet.

Of course, one of the benefits of the internet, of blogs, of Facebook (if I am allowed to mention that site here!), is that it makes it easier to keep in touch with folk. We can read of their activities, or see photos of them, or where they have been.

But it is not the same is meeting with someone in person; talking to them when they can hear our voice, seeing them, listening to them, being close with them.

The whole experience makes me think of Easter, particularly that first Easter. Jesus had been crucified and was dead and buried. The disciples were in shock, grieving together, drawing strength from their mutual friendship of Jesus. They thought they wouldn't see Him again. That's how I am feeling about many, or maybe even most, of my Edinburgh friends.

But only a few days later, the disciples were over-joyed to meet Jesus again. Their grief was turned to celebration. Their desire to stay shut away from society was replaced by an enthusiasm to tell everyone they knew, even everyone they met, that Jesus was not dead, but instead He was alive!

I expect that in the years ahead, people will come to visit my wife and me in our new home in Tongue in Sutherland. In fact, some of my friends will be with us for my service of ordination less than three weeks away now! Whether soon, or not, it will be great to see folk we have known from our years in Edinburgh. It will remind us of those Good Old Days!

The Bible records the lives of some of the key figures as they have known God. It gives us an insight into their relationships with the God they worshipped. We learn about God at a distance, both geographical distance, and a chronological distance.

The great thing about God, is that we can get to know Him for ourselves, here and now - right this second. He is only a prayer away -

Dear God, help me to know you. Let me hear your voice whispering to me, leading me, guiding me, teaching me, loving me. I am sorry for letting you down so much. Thank you giving me a fresh start, to love you, serve you, and worship you. Amen.