VIEW FROM THE PULPIT

Rev’d Penny

This marks him out from the disciples who panic when caught in a storm on Lake Galilee, or want to send people away when too many beg for attention. They have little faith, in comparison to him. They lose their balance when under pressure. Get distracted and flustered at precisely the moment they need to ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’.

Few can juggle successfully without being well grounded because a firm stance makes it easier to coordinate the hand and eye movement needed to keep each ball in the air Watch any who has mastered the technique and you’ll see how focused they are in the moment; how calmly they take each ball as it comes Like those at Wimbledon who don’t panic at match point but give it their best shot, knowing that is the only way of pulling through.

Nothing is impossible

I wonder how much you are juggling at the moment because I remember how hectic the end of the summer term was when school fetes and shows, sports days and leavers’ celebrations were slotted into the family diary This on top of the in-tray that needed to be cleared, the dissertation completed, or meetings that had to be arranged before everyone went on holiday

Some, I guess, may be juggling finances, robbing Peter to pay Paul and wondering how long it will be possible to keep going if rent or mortgages continue to go up. Others juggling hospital or doctor’s appointments whilst feeling not up to much or working out who’ll cover when the carer is away. A few will be juggling invitations to Glyndebourne, Holland Park, Wimbledon or The Ashes so that they dovetail with days spent in London or the country

A sense of calm

As we continue to move through the season that the church calls ‘Ordinary Time’, we hear about the day-today challenges that Jesus encounters as he ministers to the disciples and crowds that gather around him. He juggles deftly, meeting their different needs without losing his cool or giving in to despair, by taking time out to pray and commune with his Father

Jesus manages to do all that he does because he is attentive to the situation he finds himself in Not distracted by thought of where it might lead, but prayerful in the way that he listens and responds to the people around him. He is able to do this because he is so well centred and so sure that, with God, nothing is impossible.

There is an old saying, attributed to Francois de Sales (1567-1622), a French Roman Catholic bishop and spiritual writer that “Half an hour’s listening is essential except when you are very busy. Then a full hour is needed ”

For listening read prayer and think WWJD (what would Jesus do) when you next feel overwhelmed It is counterintuitive but good for the soul, making each and every day easier for everyone