Thoughts for the Day

The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he keep his anger for ever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far he removes our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
For he knows how we were made;
he remembers that we are dust.

As for mortals, their days are like grass;
they flourish like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

I have said some of the words above hundreds of time while taking funerals since the 1980s. They were often my 'go to' verses for the Committal, either standing around the grave or at the crematorium, as we began the section to say farewell to a loved one after commending them to God. I have stood in blizzards of snow with a barathea cloak (thanks to a grateful parish) that was too heavy for me to lift onto my shoulders without the help of the verger; I have sweltered in the summer heat whilst wearing a part-lined thick cassock until I could afford to buy a thinner one; I have stood on the opposite side of the open grave with just five people present during covid; and I have been almost blown away by the coastal winds of Suffolk, Cumbria and Wales. But in all these places I have spoken with confidence the words from Psalm 103, believing passionately that God loves us, and that He is merciful, even though I cannot explain the tragedies that frequently happen to us.

We are but made of dust (or atoms if you prefer), our life is short in the scale of the world we live in, we are a speck on the time-line of the universe, and all that we often count as important is seen as unimportant especially when we or loved ones suffer ill health or die.

However, we may be just a bundle of insignificant atoms but we should never forget one important thing that changes everything. God loves us his children 'from everlasting to everlasting'. He does not desert us in the dark times of our lives. He is with us from our creation to our death, and beyond that into eternity. Our response if we can, should be to turn to Him at times of crises, praising Him for His constancy and asking for His help. Then we place all our trust in Him for the right answer.

Lord of Heaven and Earth,
Creator of all things,
You care for us as a parent
cares for their child.
Hear us when we cry to You;
give us help when we cannot
help ourselves,
and draw us at the last into
Your loving arms.
Amen.