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| Moving out of the Yeovil manse |
This week,
amid sweltering summer temperatures more common to Florida than the London Home
Counties, the Green family (minus one son on holiday in Crete!) finally moved
into the Amersham Free Church Manse.
I’ve been in the house, ‘commuting’ from Somerset to Buckinghamshire, for nine months. During that time I occupied just a couple of rooms – now it’s all changed!! Even amid the welcome chaos of this move already the house has started to feel more like home and I no longer feel I’m just ‘staying’ but ‘living’ here. I suppose the extra furniture has made a difference but, of course, the greatest transformation is just the fact that as a family we are back together again. It seems to me that the best bits of family life are: the mid-morning cup of coffee together, telling each other what we’ll be up to this afternoon and pulling one another’s leg around the dinner table in the evening.
Perhaps the last nine months has made me see my own family’s life differently – it has become something I’ve valued more. I am acutely aware, however, that through bereavement, separation, or simply the way life works out not everyone can become ‘reunited’ in this way. The way we ‘look out’ for each other in our church communities, the support we offer and interest we show, is a vitally important expression of our Christian faith.
Jesus never advocated in any way that fulfilment in life can only and exclusively be found with a partner and 2.4 children. Yet I think almost everything he did advocate was about the value of ‘community’ in all its many guises and expressions. It seems he found such a sense of deep belonging in the companionship of his disciple friends, the intriguing hospitality of Mary, Martha and Lazarus at Bethany and the constant encouragement of his mother Mary.
So today, as the sun beats down and I brace myself for unpacking yet a few more
boxes, I give thanks for the communities that enrich my life: my family, the
church at South Street, Yeovil who said ‘farewell’ to Rachel and the boys on
Sunday in such an encouraging way, the church here in Amersham who have
showered us this week with cards, casseroles, flowers and even champagne!
For the gift of ‘community’ – thanks be to God.
I’ve been in the house, ‘commuting’ from Somerset to Buckinghamshire, for nine months. During that time I occupied just a couple of rooms – now it’s all changed!! Even amid the welcome chaos of this move already the house has started to feel more like home and I no longer feel I’m just ‘staying’ but ‘living’ here. I suppose the extra furniture has made a difference but, of course, the greatest transformation is just the fact that as a family we are back together again. It seems to me that the best bits of family life are: the mid-morning cup of coffee together, telling each other what we’ll be up to this afternoon and pulling one another’s leg around the dinner table in the evening.
Perhaps the last nine months has made me see my own family’s life differently – it has become something I’ve valued more. I am acutely aware, however, that through bereavement, separation, or simply the way life works out not everyone can become ‘reunited’ in this way. The way we ‘look out’ for each other in our church communities, the support we offer and interest we show, is a vitally important expression of our Christian faith.
Jesus never advocated in any way that fulfilment in life can only and exclusively be found with a partner and 2.4 children. Yet I think almost everything he did advocate was about the value of ‘community’ in all its many guises and expressions. It seems he found such a sense of deep belonging in the companionship of his disciple friends, the intriguing hospitality of Mary, Martha and Lazarus at Bethany and the constant encouragement of his mother Mary.
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| Moving into the Amersham manse |
For the gift of ‘community’ – thanks be to God.
Ian
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