Dear Friends
As I write this, we are just over half way through our Summerfest season and it has been wonderful. It has been a joy to have so many young people with their parents and grandparents enjoying Scargill.
We would very much value your prayers for Community as we will be soon saying goodbye to some members who have added much to our life over the last few years, and at this moment we are not sure who will be coming to join the adventure here at Scargill from the Autumn. So, please pray for us and if you know of anyone who you feel may be called to join Scargill Community then do encourage them to get in touch.
Below is Di’s reflection – ‘Sun on the hill’ – enjoy!
Diane writes:
Let the name of the Lord be praised now and forever. From dawn until sunset the name of the Lord deserves to be praised.’ Psalm 113
It is so good to be back in Yorkshire which really is a beautiful part of the world.
Summerfest has started with the rare occurrence of sunshine for more than a day! And this morning I took a photo of the sun rising down the hillside whilst holding the camera at a quite precarious angle, as the windows have limited opening powers! To be honest I have taken several over the past 14 years – in fact nearly every time I caught the shadow moving. And when I do, I always find myself standing in awe of ‘a transcendent God who cares enough for humankind to look down, reach down, and raise up the poor and needy of the earth’. Also, from Psalm 113.
As I look across the valley my thoughts ramble along in no particular order – how straight and neat the sunline is and remains, how we see the light of the sun rather than the sun itself, how the movement down is so slight it is almost imperceptible, how the shadow is slowly but firmly being pushed down, pushed away, that there is a period of time before we are able to actually see the sun, but we know it is there. And then I say to myself ‘SURELY there must be a reflection here!’ And would you believe it when working with the primary children later in the day we read in Matthew 5.14-16 :
‘You are the light of the world…… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’
So, at last, I am putting pen to paper!
For me, this photo shows me that God is always reaching down to us although as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13: ‘Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror (or the sunlight on the hillside). Later we will see him face to face. … For now, there are faith, hope and love. But of these three the greatest is love’.
In John’s gospel. Jesus calls us to love one another, ‘You must love each other just as I have loved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples. John also in his first letter writes, ‘My dear friends, we must love each other. Love comes from God, and when we love each other, it shows we have been given new life. We are now God’s children, and we know him. …. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is truly in our hearts’.
This is where we need to be the light coming down the hill side, for others. We often talk about going that extra mile to help, of being generous with our time and resources, of seeing with God’s eyes and acting accordingly. I feel sure this is our calling, and not just here at Scargill. We are all to be people with big-hearts and open-hands; a ready smile, full of joy and laughter. To have the mind-set of “I care about you as a person”, just as you are; with all your shadows and gifts. This is contagious because, like the sun, it warms the hearts of those it touches and allows the love of Christ to be visible – in all we do, all we say and particularly through who we are.
But don’t forget the light in the photo was for all to see. As well as being light to others we need to spend time in God’s presence and to become more open to seeing the light, the glimpses of glory, all around us. Matt Whitney, an artist I have used for several Advent weekends, wrote ‘riding the bus forces me to wait. It’s in these waiting moments that I seem to have glimpses of glory – kind deeds done amongst strangers crammed into an overcrowded bus, catching a sunset over the Ballard Locks, or the seemingly random flourishes of inspiration that strike me when my mind wanders. Spaces between immanence and transcendence are revealed. I have a heightened sense of spiritual awareness when I ride the bus – such an unlikely place for this to happen!’ Or is it?
So next time you see the sun rise or just the light on the hill give thanks to a God who ’showed his love for us when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life’ and be expectant for the moments you can share that love to others.
With love and prayers from