When the wind blows....

There has been a picture being shared on social media in the last couple of days man casually mowing the grass as a tornado looms behind him. It can be found here.

The story is, that mowing the grass was on his to-do list. His wife had gone for a nap leaving him to get on with it. His daughter noticed the change in the weather and went out to tell him, but he decided to carry on mowing because that was what was on his schedule. He told her he had his eye on the tornado.

What would you do in that situation?

Carry on with the to-do list despite the tornado?

Go inside and wait to see what happens?

Wind is a mighty thing.

A few months ago, in the middle of a sermon, just at the right time our fire exit blew loudly open and made everyone jump. 

Wind has the potential to do the unexpected, to change the course, to enable a tin can to roll up hill and cause chaos and devastation. It has, I watched in Beauty and the Beast last week, the potential to open up the way to a frightening but promising new life......

John 3:8 says this:

"The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from, or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

That tornado could have changed direction. That tornado could have caused destruction..... Yet the man carried on with his to do list, because that's what he had always done.

Yesterday was Pentecost Sunday. On that first Pentecost I'd imagine that the arrival of the Holy Spirit was as shocking as a tornado (even though they were expecting it). The disciples were ready and prepared for it and were waiting. Their chores paused for that time....

The man in the tornado story carries on doing his to-do list - his default - his normal - keeping an eye out but not prepared to stop and think. 

Sometimes we can all be a bit like that - our to do list is done whatever is around..... 

But.... then the tornado changes direction and we miss it as we resolutely stand firm in our ways and in the past. 

Perhaps there are times when we need to pause from our to-do list - our normal - our default - and watch and see and feel where the wind is going. Watch and see and feel where the Holy Spirit is leading us. 

Times are changing. Churches are changing (where they are willing to).... and we've all got to ask ourselves the question - what are we going to be doing? 

Are we going to be resolutely carrying on mowing the lawn, or are we going to stop, pause and watch and wait, listening and then moving to where the Spirit is leading us?  

Returning to default settings.....

When I write something on my computer at home and print it off, it shrinks. It took me a while to realise that this is because the default setting for my printer is to use letter sized paper not A4. I don’t know why the default setting is letter sized paper, but that’s what my computer thinks I want. Every time I print I think that I really should change my default settings, but I don’t..... and then the next time I print.... well you might guess the story.

We all have our default settings. Things we do without question. Things, that when we change our settings once, we go back to doing anyway, because it’s what feels right... it’s what feels natural. Recently I’ve been on ministers conference, and as part of the organising group, over the last two years we tried to mix things up a bit – do things a little bit differently – have communion in a different way or do less standing and sitting in rows.... however, this time, when we didn’t have so much influence on the programme, we referred to default... and as I stood at the back of the conference (because that's where I like to stand) I reflected on how even those of us who are most keen to do things a little bit differently so often default back to the ways in which things have often been done. I then drew a picture (excuse the faded pencil, and the random stick people, but hopefully it makes a little bit of sense). Drawing and sharing is definitely not my default position....! 

I did really enjoy ministers conference (partly because this time I was not ill and feeling like I was on some sort of spinning fair-ride and partly because it was good and made me think (hence that not being the only drawing I did)).... but it did make me think about my own default settings. 

What I should be doing with my default settings on my computer is to change them, forever, as I know that the paper I generally use is A4, and printing documents out without shrinking them every time without thinking about it would be much better and less frustrating. My reluctance to change my settings (because it is too much effort), however, could be seen as a reflection on how we generally find it so difficult to make changes stick.... because our default settings are so fixed we too easily revert... and then those default settings prevent us from being who we are meant to be (they shrink our vision to fit the default).

As we once again journey towards Easter where we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus, maybe it's time to reflect on the possibilities that he has opened up and on who he is calling us to be. Do we shrink our vision to fit our default, or are we prepared to be open to wherever God is calling us, even if that might mean changing our settings?