Create a peaceful space to pause, and allow yourself to feel God’s presence alongside you, as near to you as your own breath. In following the reflection below, as a church we will draw closer to God and to one another as we grow in faith and deepen our sense of belonging to God.
Luke 10:25-28 ‘What it Takes from Us’
25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ’Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ 26 He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ 27 He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ 28 And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’
George Herbert, until his mid-thirties, did not give much thought to God. Then he left the court of King James I to be the rector of a parish near Salisbury. One of his joys was music, and twice a week he walked into Salisbury to play and sing with friends at the cathedral. A part of my childhood was spent in the beautiful city, famous for Magna Carta, and for the tallest spire in England. However, it is the lovely cathedral close and the meadows that I recommend, and a visit is well worth it!
One day George Herbert stopped on his walk to help a man whose horse had collapsed in the mud. When he eventually arrived, his friends were surprised to see him a mess, as he hitherto looked clean and smart. One said “he had disparaged himself by so dirty an employment”.
This reminds me of the story of the Good Samaritan who stopped to help a person who had been attacked. Two people just passed ignoring him but the Samaritan came to his aid. The story in Luke’s Gospel comes when Jesus replied to a teacher of the Law’s question about what he must do to receive eternal life.
George Herbert replied said “I am bound to practice what I pray for and I praise God for this occasion. Come, let’s tune our instruments” he said. The person on horseback was his neighbour. Perhaps we need to reconsider who is ours.
Prayer:
read his hymn as a prayer and a re-dedication.
Let all the world in every corner sing,
My God and King!
The heavens are not too high,
His praise may thither fly;
The earth is not too low,
His praises there may grow,
Let all the world in every corner sing,
My God and King!Let all the world in every corner sing,
My God and King!
The church with psalms must shout,
No door can keep them out;
But above all, the heart
Must bear the longest part,
Let all the world in every corner sing,
My God and King!
Reflection & Prayer © 2020 Matthew Earl.
Images freely available online.
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All material within this order of worship is reproduced by permission under CCL 1226356