The Pointer October 2019
Rector The Rt Rev Darren McCartney 028 4175 3497 suffragan1@gmail.com
The Rector with Jan and the Interns, Adam, Charlotte and Rachel.
God is always near me, hearing what I say; knowing all my thoughts and deeds, all my work and play. God is always near me, in the darkest night, He can see me just the same as by midday light. God is always near me, though so young and small; not a look, or word, or thought, but God knows it all. In a precious moment to myself the words of the hymn God is always near me came to mind and with it an overwhelming comfort. It is good to know that God, our Father has given us this promise. I take great comfort knowing Jesus Christ has done it all, that it doesn’t depend on me and how good I strive to be that determines whether God wants to draw near to me. I really appreciate you taking the time to read my reflections and it is a wonderful privilege to have the opportunity to write a few thoughts or comments. You may also be reading this and I have not yet had the opportunity to meet or get to know you. I know not what thoughts, challenges or opportunities have come your way but I do hope you are also comforted to know that God, the Father, longs to draw near and be with you, in the good moments and in the difficult moments of life. The following poem was written by Rudyard Kipling and evokes many questions and emotions as to what exactly the writer had been trying to communicate. I will let you read it before I make a comment.
They shut the road through the woods Seventy years ago. Weather and rain have undone it again, And now you would never know There was once a road through the woods Before they planted the trees. It is underneath the coppice and heath, And the thin anemones. Only the keeper sees That, where the ring-dove broods, And the badgers roll at ease, There was once a road through the woods. Rudyard Kipling
The poem speaks of there once being a road through the woods and that with the passing of the seasons the road has become overgrown, so much so, that it is now invisible. However, there is one that knows and that is the keeper. Perhaps some of you as children, had a relationship or believed in God the Father. Perhaps no one else knows and this has been the way you have kept it for so long. Like the words of the children’s hymn, like the keeper in the poem, God knows. He knows us and even with the passing of time and all the other things that have come in, He still know us. I hope that as you have read and reflected you have been encouraged to remember and in remembering to know that God draws near. +Darren