Still He bends to hear us sing

Around 300 years ago, the saintly Madame Guyon was imprisoned in the Bastille for her faith. For seven years, she was in a cell lying below the surface of the ground, with no light other than candle light. While imprisoned, she wrote the poem ‘A Prisoners Song’. Here are the first two verses;

A little bird I am,
Shut from the fields of air;
And in my cage I sit and sing
To Him Who placed me there;
Well pleased a prisoner to be,
Because, my God, it pleases Thee.

Naught have I else to do:
I sing the whole day long;
And He Whom I most love to please
Doth listen to my song:
He caught and bound my wandering wing;
But still He bends to hear me sing.

Whatever we face, wherever we are, still He bends to hear us sing.

Awe and sobriety in London

I was in the City side of London for meetings today. I had some time to spare between meetings, so called in on the London Museum. As you might expect, it's all about London through the ages. I left in awe and somewhat sobered.

Awe: That thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions, have walked the streets of London before me. Traded, worked, loved and lived here. Died here. Awe over such an amazing city. Aware of my smallness. My small part in this history. Moments in this office or that. Jobs here and there. A few years living in South London. Moments in history. I met the early settlers today. The Romans, invaders, Medieval Londoners... the vastness of history.

Sobriety: As you go out of the museum, there is a book of remembrance for the 52 people killed in the atrocities of 7/7. Right at the front of the book is James Adams. Pictures, letters from friends. Words of remembrance from those who knew him. He lived in Peterborough, where I live. I knew many of the names of his friends. Some of them are my friends too. I never met James, but his Christian faith stands out through the pages of remembrance. He lived life as an adventure. He loved his Lord. Blown away in a second. But what a sound to greet him as the words 'well done good and faithful servant' ring through eternity.

Awe and sobriety. O my God, may I live every moment of my life as an adventure. Small in the picture of history, but significant in the book of life.

The Human Spirit

The TV news carried two main stories last night. Both are to do with who we are and what God has made us.

The first story was to do with the death of Jane Tomlinson from breast cancer. Jane was diagnosed with the condition 7 years ago. She was told she had 6 months to live. Jane decided to fight. She competed in triathlons and ran the London Marathon a number of times, cycled across America, from Rome to Leeds and from John O’Groats to Lands End. Over the 7 years, she raised over £1.5m for cancer charities.

What a fighter. What spirit she had to keep going against the odds. I don’t know if she had a faith in God, but there was such Godly determination on display.

The second story from last nights news was the Government decision to allow Human-Animal embryo’s for experimentation. Again, there is a determination to fight disease. Again human spirit, human ingenuity is on display. But this time, the cost is high. To quote the Christian Institute: “Manufacturing new creatures out of humans and animals is deeply repugnant. It offends against the principle that human life is uniquely made in the image of God. It offends against the created order that humans and animals are of different kinds. Mixing them has rightly been called ‘in-vitro bestiality’.”

A human is a human from conception. To treat that human embryo as a test tube specimen, to mix that human with animal parts… God forgive us. We are spiritual beings. As Jane showed, we can show extraordinary courage against the odds. Sadly those of us who remain embryos for experimentation never get that chance.

Odd Moment (2)

I travel to and from London regularly, and use the Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) to do so. Their announcements as you get on the train at Kings Cross are about the most unwelcome ever invented. Below is the announcement as I remember it, and I've put in brackets what I think they are saying.....

"This is the 6.20 to Leeds, calling at Peterborough, Newark, .... If you have a Hull Trains or First Capital Connect ticket, they are not valid on this train (Get off my train!). If you have a Saver Return or outward portion of a Business Return, they are not valid on this train. (Get off my train, really!). If you have an Apex, Daypex (Any other Pex!) these tickets are only valid for the train as printed on your ticket. (I don't want anyone on this train!).

If you have not got the right ticket, you should leave the train now or you will be charged the standard open single fare (This is how we make our money). "

Really, that's just how it comes across! You are made to feel so unwelcome! You would have thought that in our age of communication, someone would have taught them how to treat their customers. Anyway; odd.... and slightly annoying!