Since my childhood days I have never ceased to be enchanted by the variety and richness of wild flowers in the hedgerow – the mixture of colour, pink, yellow, blue and white intertwining into perfect and wonderful harmony of colour within their natural habitat of grass and trees. I learnt to recognize some by name, the primrose, cowslip, bluebells, vetch, clover and yarrow etc. I marvelled at them as individual creations and together as a symphony of perfect harmony. And with them comes that mystic-curious feeling to touch tenderly the mind and the imagination. Wonders open doors. John, the evangelist skilfully uses words. He uses the familiar to open doors of wonder to introduce us to Jesus Christ. Bread becomes the bread of life and water becomes the living water. I am particularly fond of the door that opens before us in the twenty first verse of the twentieth chapter of his gospel where the disciples, lonely, disillusioned and fearful have locked the doors. Closing doors is a real temptation for us threatened by fierce and hardened unbelief resulting in our mindset becoming increasingly inward looking protective and defensive. But the Easter- Pentecost experience is also one of God’s wonders of harmony. Jesus comes and stands in the middle, greets and encourages, sends and empowers. inspires confidence … the doors are unlocked… out they go. The world has not been quite the same since.
Prayer:
Lord, God of our fathers since the birth of our nation, you have given us the ability to marvel not only at the beauty of your handiwork but to marvel more and more at the beauty of Jesus of Nazareth amongst his own people and transforming the total ugliness of the cross into the beauty of new life and hope to humanity and the whole of creation. And as we marvel we give thanks and praise. We uplift your name with joy. Enable us to marvel more and more at the beauty of all your works to inspire and motivate us to share beauty in difficult, trying and dark days. Amen