NUDGINGS: a journey into the unknown

‘By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.’ Genesis 3:19 Most scholars agree that the texts found in Genesis began to be written down sometime in the 10th century BCE and were based on oral and written traditions. It is this verse that is referenced in the Book of Alternative Services during the Ash Wednesday service, ‘Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return’. A few years ago now we attended an Ash Wednesday Service where the words had morphed to ‘Remember that you are stardust and to stardust you shall return’ moving into the cosmology of the 21st century, connecting our bodies with the whole universe. These express the beliefs of a differing world view. They both call us to remember that life on this earth is impermanent and fleeting. They call us to pause and to ponder our lives. Which resonates with you doesn’t matter. What does matter is that it makes...

Over the past month, I, like many of you, have been watching an Amaryllis grow to maturity, waiting for the day when it comes into full bloom. As it bends daily towards the winter light coming in the window, I turn it, so that the following day, it’s stem will straighten and the stalk will stand tall again., knowing that one day it will bloom.  How like raising a child that is. You watch over them daily, correcting here, praising there and hoping that they will one day become fully-functioning members of society. We all have those events in our lives that push and pull us in diverse ways. And that is how we are like the Amaryllis as it bends towards the light. We too can bend until we are out of shape, and unrecognizable to even ourselves. When that happens (and it will)  we need to remember those words that are repeated so many times throughout the bible, “Fear not!”. Don’t fear either the good times or the bad times. If we have our feet firmly planted on the way ...