Thoughts for the Day

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

For you shall go out in joy,
and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall burst into song,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Day 6 of Lent brings us some hope, and for me a huge reminder of hundreds of people in Worcester cathedral singing 'You shall go out with joy' by Steffi Rubin and Stuart Dauermann (also known as the 'Trees of the field') as the great west doors opened wide to let the people out. I had never seen these doors opened before but at the start of a six day all-age pilgrimage from Worcester to Hereford they opened to let the huge crowd of men, women and children; the 20 huge silken banners; the pushchairs; and dogs of all sizes, out on the start of their journey. Before the last pilgrim left, Isaiah's words must have been sung about thirty times, getting faster and faster until everyone had gone.

Today's passage from Isaiah, starts with a declaration. He says, just as rain is a gift (sorry to those of you who feel it never stops at present) that brings about transformation to the earth allowing plants to flourish, so is God's word. This is not just the words in our Bible, but also the call to repent, to come back to God, and the promises to receive His compassion and forgiveness. Like the rain God's word is a gift and its purpose is to call all people to Himself.

Now comes the moment of hope. Answering God's call won't be an easy road, and the challenges may be hard to overcome. We've only just started Lent, and committing ourselves to making changes to our life is difficult, but in the short term our Easter will be more glorious if we succeed, and in the long-term God promises to bring us home rejoicing.

Father-God,
Your word is a gift to us,
whether we read it or hear it.
You call all people to Yourself,
and offer us hope for today
and for the future.
May we listen and rejoice this day,
and move forward with joy.
Amen.