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Focus
Focus is the bi-monthly magazine of Brislington United Reformed Church.
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Pastoral Letter
June 2006
He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some [fish].” (John 21:6) |
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When I have time I like to go out on my bike sketching and drawing and then painting up my pictures in water colours or occasionally acrylics. And many art experts urge the budding artist to, “paint what you see,” – not necessarily what is there! This gives each of us, whether we are artists or not, a great deal of scope because when looking at a subject we rarely all see the same thing. Recently, I went through what I considered to be an extremely traumatic period and was very down about it indeed. But another person facing the same difficulty may well have said, “problem, what problem you should see what I’m having to contend with.” And still another person might have responded to that comment with, “call that a problem come and see what I’m facing,” and so we could go on. Sometimes we feel alone in our problems because those on the outside of “our world” cannot enter it to see what we are going through or share our pain. Now, the disciples had been fishing all night yet caught nothing; did they have a problem? Then in the morning light a lone figure standing on the shore was calling to them to throw their nets on the right side of the boat. Now these were experienced fishermen who knew those waters well, could read the weather like the back of their hand and knew everything there was to know about fishing thank you very much. Besides, what difference would a slight shift to the other side of the boat make? – not much. If the boat was 14 feet wide or so what’s that in terms of a great lake; one they had endlessly trawled all night? But they decided to give it a try and herein lies the irony. For with that tiny change of position up came the fish by the bucketful. And it didn’t stop there for it also opened the mind of the disciple whom Jesus loved that the figure on the shore was none other than the risen Jesus, “it is the Lord,” he said – what an insight! (John 21:7). And for us too if we habitually approach a problem from the same angle it will never cease to be a problem to us. How could it be otherwise if our viewpoint is fixed, closed and unchanging? For no matter how many times a particular problem presents itself we will always respond to it in the same predictable way. However, there is a solution but it has to be worked at. Sometimes all that is needed is a slight change of perspective in thinking (for the disciples it was about 14 feet!!) for the mountainous problem to crumble and become an open door through which we can pass with ease. The problem is that often we can’t see for looking because as adults we’ve settled into a set pattern of thinking from which it is difficult to break free – and often we don’t even know we have it! But if we are to discover that open door through our problems we will need to turn our thinking inside out and upside down. And God is an inside out God who will help us make the changes necessary to begin thinking in new and creative ways. |
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It may take time; it may take a long time; it may take a lifetime but however long it takes (if indeed it is ever fully resolved) the Lord will give us courage and confidence to face the future whatever it brings and to live our lives victoriously. For at those times when we feel weak and vulnerable, if we could but see it, he gives us the power to be resolute and strong! Praise the Lord.
Derek Marsh June 2006
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"Derek Marsh Assembly Accredited
Lay Preacher" |
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