Well dear readers I am back!
It has been quite a time over the past few months.
A period of being off on sick leave, Easter and a trip to Israel, Jordan and Egypt.
My illness revolves around "burnout" - a severe reminder of the balance we all need in our lives. The importance of proper rest and recreation.
We all do well to heed the commandment "6 days shall you labour....." Sadly, so many people are under so much pressure from work, family needs etc that we sometimes lose sight of the need for rest and re-creation: we all need time "to smell the roses".
Our Easter celebrations were a time of spiritual enrichment: the great drama that unfolds from Passion [Palm] Sunday through to Easter Day calls us back to what is most important in our life: a living relationship with God - Creator of heaven and earth. Jesus' death on the cross reminds us of how far God will go to draw us into that relationship.
After Easter Judy and I led a group of parishioners and others to the Middle East.
It was an amazing experience. Walking where Jesus walked, reading the stories of Elijah on Mt Carmel, the place where he defeated the priests of Baal, and being in Jerusalem and experiencing all its holy and historical sites brings the Scriptures alive in a new and exciting way.
One also gets a strong sense of the tensions and conflict that is part of the Middle East. We felt quite safe all of the time - but you wonder if peace is ever possible in that part of the world. I am becoming more convinced that "fundamentalism" be it Jewish, Islamic, Christian or Athiest is a dangerous form of belief - it leads to intolerance and often accepts violence as a means of achieving its ends.
We all need to join in the Psalmist's longing: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and may all who love her prosper"
In the end we must take Jesus' words to heart:"love one another, even as I have loved you."
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