After the first drop of rain, which amounted to little more than a drip and a promise, I walked on a path across a field of sugar beet. The crop that had looked so down in the dumps a few days previously had perked up. Rich green leaves had appeared and were loving the new environment. I recall from my younger days that such sudden growth will have been to the detriment of root sugar content but for there to be a good root weight later, it is a necessary sacrifice; and anyway, some of the sugar will be replaced in time if the conditions are favourable.
If you have a garden you will have noticed the speed with which grass has turned green again and little seeds are germinating all over the place, (including between the bricks in our drive). Nature is wonderful in way it responds to changing conditions.
We are living in a time of great change. We have a new Prime Minister and now Prince Charles is King; we must get used to referring to Prince William as Prince of Wales. However angrily we regret challenge and however deeply we mourn loss, our Spiritual Health depends on rapid adaptation and response to the environment we are in, not the one we would like to be in.
The Crown passes seamlessly and immediately on the death of a Sovereign; nature adapts so fast it is breath-taking but it took a month or so to replace our Prime Minister and I shudder to think about the speed of some of our Church Meeting decisions…just saying!!
A prayer
God of the present, support us in our changing world and draw us into your tomorrow without sticking in our yesterday. Help us in our mourning, but always in the hope of our rising in glory. Amen.