Half Full Or Half Empty?

This week's readings include the phrase ,

‘Give Us Grace To Perceive His Glory’ 

Words of St Paul to the Christians in Corinth.

Felted bird and base gifted from very talented someones

 A simpler version of this might be, 

‘Give Us Eyes To See.’

I’ve also read recently that ‘You see what you look for.’

Or summed up well in the old question about whether your glass is half full or half empty.

This week there have been two glass half full moments.

In fact, it turned out more as a ‘My cup is running over.’

One was on Monday.

It could have been an unwanted walk, too early in the morning, on too cold a day, on too dull a path. 

Instead it turned into a glorious early morning walk, overtaken by the small winged creatures that live there.

If you’re not a bird enthusiast you will have glazed over already.

If you are, delight in the news that on one 5Km walk, there were five, I repeat five separate flocks of Long-tailed Tits;  Yes, I said 5 ( I’ve only ever seen about five before in total),

a small flock of four Jays, together in the same tree, a Tree-creeper, a male Bullfinch, and copious other hooded Crows, Magpies, and Lesser-Spotted Somethings that I tend not to notice because they are so commonplace, each lovely in their own way.

Ecstatic at one flock of Long-tailed’s, five sent me into orbit.

I was cock-a-hoop all day, and since.  

 ‘Give us eyes to see,’ can be very real when out and about in His created order.

Two people can make the same journey and see and perceive very different things, possibly because they have different expectations.

‘Give us grace to perceive,’ lifts the bar a little more, and deepens the prayer that we would not only SEE, but perceive, understand perhaps, and finally be changed by.

 Perhaps that occurred in a small way in the second Half Full moment.

Since October a small group of the parish have been reading a fantastic book by Warren Wiersbe on the Names of Jesus. I say small, tiny is perhaps nearer the truth. On my half empty moments I mention that we began as nine from a parish of at least 890 parishioners.

Is that less than 1%?

Tuesday evening was the final evening, when I hoped for a last uplift and a greater interest. Instead, nine became three. Half Full or Half empty?

Instead, it turned out to be one of the best evening’s we have had as a group.

And one of the most encouraging on-line events I have hosted.

I sat amazed as I listened to the insight, and the perception of the others into the Names of Jesus, their appreciation of the book, and how glad they were to have been part of the group.

What I witnessed is Discipleship, where individuals are growing in their own faith and trust in Jesus; and for any minister of the Gospel, that is what it is about, however few are journeying on.

 I will remember Monday’s walk, and bird tally for years to come. And I will remember the impact of a small study group, and the encouragement of the others there.

 I imagine, that those very first early Disciples would say the same thing too about their Day of great perception. Admittedly in a different league, nonetheless years after, Mark, Matthew and Luke wrote of a day when the disciples’ cup overflowed with a new understanding and awareness of Who Jesus Is.   

‘Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone.

His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 

And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: 

‘This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!’

The Gospel writers are great at understatement, commenting that they were frightened, and that they kept the matter to themselves… until of course it was included in the Gospels.

Up a mountain, a long walk perhaps, wondering what might be, half empty or half full, and going on to see Jesus in His diving glory, hearing the voice of the Heavenly Father, speak about His love of His Son, and the ongoing command, ‘Listen To Him.’

Not half full, but an overflowing day, never to be forgotten.

In ministry, I don’t expect light-transforming moments; sometimes I’m happy when we are able to keep the peace and get through one year to the next. But I hope, in it all, that I still look for growth, and progress in our Christin walk, sometimes simply called Discipleship.

 

If these set-apart months, now almost a year, have taught me anything, it is to look past what sometimes is less than half-full, and continue to be open to those days of wonder and surprise when an ordinary walk is transformed by the loveliest small winged creatures; when the smallest of Bible study groups is lit by the Light of His Grace.

 And so we carry on in the way set out for us, we ‘Listen To Him,’ and we pray as we continue on in our faithfulness and discipleship, 

‘Lord Give Us Grace To Perceive His Glory’. Amen.

 

St Mark 9: 2-9 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. ³ His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. ⁴ And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

⁵ Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ ⁶ (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

⁷ Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: ‘This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!’ ⁸ Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. ⁹ As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ¹⁰ They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what ‘rising from the dead’ meant.'