Saturday 22 February 2025

Psalm 81

Background
Jesus was an electric personality and a very gifted teacher. We imagine him playfully teasing and caring for those who crowded round to listen to him, as they tried to imbibe his dynamic aliveness.

He invited them poetically to glimpse living in an entirely new and beautiful mindset: one of abundance and sufficiency to deal with the joyful and difficult tasks of living.

We also imagine that the disciples, who had given up their occupations and security to accompany Jesus in his wandering ministry, might have had some real anxieties about the future.

Part of learning to live trustfully in God who created the whole universe and holds you in being is to limit yourself to dealing with what is important today. You need to focus on what is yours to do today for God's kingdom and not sap your energy anxiously pondering the ‘what ifs’ of tomorrow.

Jesus invites us to learn this lesson as we meditate on the beauty of a flower, here the lily. The lily is intrinsically beautiful. It is not anxiously working away to try to make itself look more beautiful, or to extend its life a little more. King Solomon held a very sumptuous court, but even he was not clothed in such beauty.

When we go outside, we can choose to immerse ourselves in experiencing nature, bathing in sunshine, sounds, colours and textures. It can lift our spirits making us feel better. This can nudge us into ‘being’ mode, where we slow down and appreciate ‘what is’ rather than worrying about our ‘to do’ list, or all the things that might go wrong. It is like going from black and white into beautiful technicolour.

Allowing ourselves to have a time just 'to be', helps us recognise all the ways we are being sustained not just by our doing, but by nature, by other people and by the processes and energies of the body. In a very deep way, our life does not depend on us but is a God-given and God-sustained gift.

Contemplating the beauty of a flower, as Jesus invites us to, can remind us to feel a sense of trustfulness in God. The challenges we face may be real. But the providence of God is also powerful and true.

I urge you to trust in that providence and live, full of faith, one day at a time.

To Ponder:

• In what ways do you give yourself time just ‘to be’ and what difference does it make?
• Can you share a story (big or small) about how a time of ‘just being', resulted in effective God action?
• Can you share a story about how foolish it was to worry so much about something?

Prayer
God of providential care, help us to trust you enough to live very simply in this one day. And with the burden of worry lifted a little, may we feel something of the lightness of your joyful spirit, knowing our tomorrow is provided for. Amen.

Bible notes author: The Revd Jenny Ellis
Jenny is a supernumerary Methodist minister. She facilitates a mindfulness community based at her local surgery and also online. She also leads quiet days and contemplative study days. This year's series of online contemplative days entitled Beginnings will be based on the first three chapters of Genesis.