As if time stood still

The Gospel of James has an interesting story; that Joseph had a vision or encountered an experience as he went to find a Hebrew mid-wife. Mary was about to give birth and Joseph had left her in the cave. These are writings from the 2^nd Century and are not included as part of the canonical Gospels.

"Now I, Joseph, was walking along and yet not going anywhere. I looked up at the vault of the sky and saw it standing still, and then at the clouds and saw them paused in amazement, and at the birds of the sky suspended in mid-air. As I looked on the earth, I saw a bowl lying there and workers reclining around it with their hands in the bowl; some were chewing and yet did not chew; some were picking up something to eat and yet did not pick it up; and some were putting food in their mouths and yet did not do so. Instead, they were all looking upward. "I saw sheep being driven along and yet the sheep stood still; the shepherd was lifting his hand to strike them, and yet his hand remained raised. And I observed the current of the river and saw goats with their mouths in the water and yet they were not drinking. "Then all of a sudden everything and everybody went on with what they had been doing.

My thoughts are drawn to the possibility of “time” standing still, at the moment of birth of our saviour Jesus Christ. God made flesh and living among us. The three expressions of God; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. All who existed before “time” and were spoken of in the beginning (the book of Genesis).

It would seem quite natural that time would stand still at that moment when the child Jesus drew his first breath. Our God who is outside of time, entering our time – brings to my mind, a sense of wonder and amazement. In that stillness and quiet, space without noticing movement or breath of air, a pure silence and perfect moment to conceive the birth of our saviour. Words cannot tell of such a moment nor can we fully imagine the timeless importance for each and every one of us, regardless of race or creed.

Take time to enter into silence, breathe in the moment and receive the perfect gift.

The full measure

Financial budgets and accounting,
is not the full account.
Though the bottom line may be accurate,
we see there is much missing.

A formulae of addition and subtraction,
division and multiplication
would seem to be all sufficient.
Though a truer calculation,
will reveal the value and full measure.

The addition without subtraction
will multiply and not divide.
There must be boundless amounts of
kindness, compassion and gratitude,
in this way, true scales may be balanced.

A deluge of acceptance,
trust and mutual respect;
for a deal to be truly sealed.
A richness of clarity, humility and integrity
that all benefits may be plainly seen.

A profit for man is assured
in a value more than wealth;
but to brighten, to strengthen, to refine,
or to form a single living spirit,
never enters into our estimate of advantages.

Wood working

I have recently spent a lot of time, practicing being a carpenter.

There is now, a very comfortable summer house in our garden.

I have been using woodworking tools for as long as I can remember; I just love the smell of wood. My grandson came in to watch me sanding a piece of wood. “Are you making sawdust Granddad?” he said. Well, I was of course; but the purpose was to put a good finish on the wood.

During this build of love, I noticed a few things – and pondered on them while I worked. How often I had used a tenon saw for example. I learned the basics at school, making a teapot stand – it was okay, but not as good as it could have been. I tend to grasp the basics, then just keep going in that same old way – not surprisingly, getting the similar results.

Somehow this building was different. I thought about the Master Carpenter, how he would hold and position the wood. The position of the body was important too, holding control of the saw. There was a new learning here that I would not find in books. It was all about the feel of the cut, that held the saw straight and true. Vanessa tells me, the same is true of knitting – keeping the right tension.

We call this learning process, modelling. By watching and listening closely to the Master Carpenter, looking at the finer detail and getting the feel of it, when we try it ourselves. Your cuts and joints will create a good finish.

We are quite familiar with our bible passages, particularly the ones approaching Easter. As we know the story well, it is tempting to fast forward to Easter Sunday.

• ·        Watch and wait
• ·        Go deeper
• ·        How did the Master feel
• ·        What can we learn

Try this process, and what you accomplish will be better.