Daily Devotion 23 November 2020

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.

Psalm 26: 8-12

8 I love the house where you live, O Lord,
the place where your glory dwells.
9 Do not destroy me with the sinners;
spare me from the fate of
10 those who do evil all the time
and are always ready to take bribes.
11 As for me, I do what is right;
be merciful to me and save me!
12 I am safe from all dangers;
in the assembly of his people I praise the Lord.

Last week was very exciting for us as our new shed arrived. We had been talking about having a new shed for several years to replace the old existing one which was no longer watertight. The worst problem from Jim’s point of view was that the roof and doorways were very low meaning he frequently banged his head! We finally placed an order in July for delivery in November. (It seems that everyone was spending more time in their gardens and needed new sheds too!)

Getting a shed was a very small part of the project however. We needed to find a builder who would lay a level base for it: not a straightforward job as our yard slopes in two directions. This meant the base would have to be built up to counteract the slopes – and it turned out to be a tricky job requiring SIX tonnes of concrete to make it work. They spent an entire day building the shuttering and constantly checking that it would be level all the way round. With great skill they spread the concrete finally smoothing it with long planks – it was impressive to watch. The only problem came after they had left when a seagull landed in the newly-prepared base, but fortunately Jim saw it and smoothed over the damage. (Hopefully the seagull was able to wash the concrete off in the sea!). Now that the shed is in place it’s clear to see how important that base, that foundation, is. Perfectly level, it supports the structure and we can confidently fill it with all the things one keeps in a shed, knowing they will be safe from stormy weather and kept in good condition.

I think there are two things we can draw from this. One is that we as individuals need a firm foundation to build our lives on and the other is that the foundation must be level or else all that follows will be vulnerable. In the next 12-18 months as the new church building takes shape, I pray that we will not lose sight of that firm foundation which underpins all we believe and do in Christ’s name.

Prayer:
adapted from a prayer by Liz Stewart, Manchester Methodists

When things around us are shifting and unstable we turn to you, our unchanging God, and find in you all the strength and security we need.  While our human resources have often let us down, you have never failed us.  And so, Lord, trusting in your promises, we put our lives in your hands, asking that you guide us and grow in us a deeper faith, so that we may be a source of your light and hope to those around us. Amen.

Reflection & Images © 2020 Maggie Stirmey.
Prayer © 2020 Liz Stewart.

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