Put It Off Until Another Day!

Saturday's the day when I promise myself I'll catch up on all those things I've been putting off during the week. But come on - it's the weekend, roll over and put it off for another day.

And I'm further resigned, as another stream of junk mail pours through the letterbox to be added to the heap destined for the dustbin. We do open the important things. The others get left to be dealt with on some other Saturday.

I am consoled with the fact that, probably very irresponsibly - a friend and colleague once said, if you leave things long enough they mostly go away.

At least I have a choice with post through the letterbox. I can choose to open it or not; unlike the junk text message, or the junk phone call.

The snapshot of our times through junk mail is a curious one: holidays in the sun, timeshare apartments, loans, leather sofas, more credit cards, charity appeals and one rather snippy anonymous note, (I know it came from my effervescently cranky neighbour...the 'Old Goat'), that informed me: ‘Your lawn needs cutting! (Thank you, it has been raining for the past six days if you haven't noticed.) - Oh well, a whole world through the letterbox.

In the light of all that, today's prayer to God might sound like a plea for mercy: ‘Thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in Heaven;’’ not just a kingdom where there will be no junk mail, a kingdom where galloping consumption and self-destructive luxury is no more. Except ‘here on earth as it is in Heaven’ seems to suggest we might experience something of the economy of Heaven here and now and before that day when we won't have the choice.

Perhaps there is a prayer to be said for working on transforming the world now, with God's help, into one where justice, joy, respect and passion for life begins to emerge on earth as it is in Heaven.

And we just might have the lawn cut on Monday, provided that it doesn't rain!


Lord Jesus Christ, You are alive and at large in the world, help us to change the things that contradict God's love, by the power of the Cross, and the freedom of Your Spirit. Amen

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