A little less conversation a little more action

I preached today at the Churches Together in Chippenham Good Friday service. One of my Anglican colleagues put the order of service together and he’d included this meditation.

A meditation - by Ian Cowie

There is a time for asking questions
but there is also a day for decision.
There is a time to discuss who Jesus is,
but there is also a time to take up your cross and follow him.
There is a time to weigh the issues carefully,
but there are issues which will not wait until tomorrow.
If we wait until we understand everything
we will wait for ever.
If we do not follow the light which we do see,
we will receive no more light.
If we, today, miss this opportunity
then God help us.

(from Eggs & Ashes, Wild Goose Pub.)

I must admit that during the service I’d not really paid much attention to it. (I was busy thinking about my sermon.) But on the way home my wife commented on it and I’ve reread it.

My wife said that the meditation had really spoken to her. She said that with the Extinction Rebellion climate protests taking place in London, the meditation had made her think of how it is often so easy to spend time debating but not doing anything. She was thinking particularly about the climate issues and how with Britain bogged down with Brexit, nothing else seems to be happening.

We both agreed that whilst we couldn’t quite see ourselves taking part in the passive resistance that Extinction Rebellion were doing, we had sympathy with the people who were doing this.

From everything the experts are saying it seems we need “a little less conversation and a little more action” to quote Elvis!

During Lent at home we’ve been following the Living Lent idea of being vegetarian and not buying anything other than necessities. Being vegetarian has not been difficult. (We have both had the occasional lapse and have had a Sunday roast – well Sunday’s are mini festivals in Lent so that’s ok – he said trying to justify his actions.) But we have ended up buying things other than food and essentials. Nothing frivolous. Just things we needed. However, it has made us think.

And I feel what we’ve done through Living Lent will change our lifestyle to some extent. It’s interesting that on the Friends of the Earth web site, one thing they suggest people doing to help reduce environmental impact, is to eat less meat and dairy. If more people did this there would be some positive effects. Our not eating as much meat has not, and will not, be in vain.

I suppose you could ask what this has got to do with Good Friday. Well I feel the meditation reminds us that for Jesus the time for debating, the time for talking, the time for preaching had come to an end. No doubt he hoped during this ministry that people would have listened to him and would have turned their lives around. And by doing so would have turned away from sin. But they didn’t therefore he had no choice but to put into action his father’s plan. As I said in my sermon this morning:

“There was no other way of saving the world from sin.
Saving every person in the world from sin could only be achieved by God himself in the person of Jesus.
Only God’s innocent son can absorb and deal with the sin of the world.
Only God’s innocent son can take the curses of the world and give back blessing.
Only God’s innocent son can take the hatred of the world and give back love.”

A meditation - by Ian Cowie

There is a time for asking questions
but there is also a day for decision.
There is a time to discuss who Jesus is,
but there is also a time to take up your cross and follow him.
There is a time to weigh the issues carefully,
but there are issues which will not wait until tomorrow.
If we wait until we understand everything
we will wait for ever.
If we do not follow the light which we do see,
we will receive no more light.
If we, today, miss this opportunity
then God help us.

(from Eggs & Ashes, Wild Goose Pub.)