Reflection for July

The moving finger writes and having writ,
Moves on: Nor all thy piety nor wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy tears wash out a word of it.
 
We do not need these poetic lines from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam to remind us that what is said is said, what is done is done, and the clock cannot be turned back. In the Bible (Dan 5) we read of Belshazzar's feast, a lavish banquet in Babylon with sacred vessels stolen by his father Nebuchadnezzar from the Temple of Jerusalem, being used to praise pagan gods. Suddenly King Belshazzar saw a disembodied hand begin to write mysterious words on the palace wall. Daniel was brought in to translate a fateful message "Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin", as “You have been weighed in the balance and found wanting” further words foretold the end of his reign: “Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians. Belshazzar was slain that very night, the Babylonian Empire fell, and was taken over by the Persians.

It is not at all unusual today to hear the phrase "the writing is on the wall" meaning there are clear, unmistakable signs that something—usually something bad - a failure, disaster, or the end of a grisly situation is about to happen.  We might well apply it to our lives. How many times have we wished we could indeed have swallowed our hasty words, or turned the clock back on our selfish actions. Were they the writing on the wall for a friendship or a much closer relationship? Weighed in the balance and found wanting!  A challenge to change our ways and consider others as much as we do ourselves.

The future provides lasting opportunities to share the love God has for us with our family, our friends and our neighbours. And who is my neighbour? (Luke 10:25–37). Today television and the Internet bring the world into our homes. Our neighbours are out there far and wide. As refugees they are on our very doorsteps. We strongly support the charities who in our place are working to provide food for the hungry and clean water for the thirsty, working to bring peace and justice to downtrodden people wherever they live. For our part we pray that their help and support will be effective and all of these essential needs will ultimately be satisfied. Amen.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       David Peacock