One of those very hot August nights last summer, we were awoken by a loud crash in the garden. I looked out of the window expecting to see thieves taking the garden furniture. I was not sure whether to be surprised or annoyed at the real cause. A lone individual, returning home from one of the pubs (they were open then) was lost. I will not speculate about the cause but progress had involved blundering through some large shrubs, making head to bough contact with a tree and then falling up the edge of the patio which normally you would find it hard to fall down. The cacophony arose when the garden furniture was in the person’s path. I opted for amusement having realised no harm had been done to anyone.
As sotto voce as possible I enquired, as you do, if I could be of help, and that perhaps less noise would reduce the chance of all the neighbours waking too. The answer was, ‘I cannot find the way to one of the new houses’. I gave careful directions for finding the path and following it and as far as I know, all was then well.
The following morning at breakfast we analysed the situation and concluded that it had been quite a task to get through the shrubs; and how could you get lost when the roadside pavement is about as straight and as clear as it can be. (The answer to that question is in a bottle – but you guessed it.) The simple cause was one single failure to turn right after crossing the bridge, which is the obvious thing to do normally, but not when intoxicated.
Isaiah told us that the crooked would be made straight and the rough places plain. John the Baptist came to prepare the way for Jesus. In life though there are times when all of us can fail to see the clear and obvious path. Christian people spend a lot of time worrying about how to help non-Christian people find Jesus. Rightly so, for that is what evangelism is about. Less easily admitted though, are the shrubs, tree boughs, steep edges and clutter that, metaphorically speaking, litter our own paths. Even more difficult to recognise are the incredibly obvious turns that we miss.
Emerging from Easter and looking back, is the road behind clear or a mess of twists, turns, obstacles and other hazards? Are there serious risks safely navigated and yet not recognised at the time? If so, how was that…was the voice that sometimes seems silent actually whispering and guiding all the while?
Now look forward, is the path clear? Are we prepared to recognise the next turnings or see how to pass the next obstacles? And stop talking, debating, arguing – stop the background noise, listen to the silence…
A prayer
Risen Lord Jesus, we so easily fail to notice when you are beside us in our travel through life. Looking back we may see you as did disciples reflecting on an evening walk to Emmaus. It is not easy to be aware of you. Be with us in your risen power today and in our tomorrows, help us stop blundering and to slow down, stay where we are if necessary, and move on only as guidance comes and the way ahead discernible again despite the twists and bumps.
Amen.