Monday 24th March

Today on the way to church I felt reminded of Psalm 24 and Josh had a picture of a sunflower in his mind. The pertinent phrase seemed to be ' Lift up your heads'    This Christian life is all about growth.  Being planted in good soil and then, watered by Gods ongoing presence, growing up towards the sun.  The point of the christian life is to bear fruit.  And the fruit is  love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control ( Gal 5 22)

When I first moved to Ireland I learned a few new customs and sayings and traditions.  And one is about the planting of potatoes.   Apparently you plant them on St Patricks day ( 17th March) and lift them from the ground on 12th July  ( public holiday here) and you will have the perfect crop.  I've missed planting day again this year - I must buy some seed potatoes this week and get them into planters soon.   Spuds dont take much effort to grow.  You chuck them in the dirt and they do their own thing.  As long as they have water they will grow without needing much tending and before long one seed potato will have produced dozens and dozens of 'offspring' which taste delicious boiled with a sprig of mint and a pinch of salt.

Most plants need light and reasonably good soil to grow.  But mushrooms grow on rotting matter, horse manure, seaweed any old rubbish really  and they grow in the dark.  Even without light its possible to grow and bear fruit.  Whatever our circumstances - whether like the sunflower we are growing tall and straight and the sun is shining on us,  or like the humble potato we feel that we have been left to get on with it without too much fuss or attention, or whether we are floundering in the crap of life and utterly in the dark we can all grow and all bear fruit. 

So lift up your head. Stretch up towards the light and the promise is that the King of glory will come in. 

1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
    the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it on the seas
    and established it on the waters.

3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
    Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
    who does not trust in an idol
    or swear by a false god.

5 They will receive blessing from the Lord
    and vindication from God their Saviour.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
    who seek your face, God of Jacob.

7 Lift up your heads, you gates;
    be lifted up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord strong and mighty,
    the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates;
    lift them up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
    The Lord Almighty –
    he is the King of glory.