Sunday 13 April 2014

Glimpses of Glory in Lent - Day 40 The Speed Skating Nun

The crowds shouted Hosanna! Expecting power and glory, greeting a king.
But Jesus lived by a different story. His way was that of true humility, his power was the power of the word become flesh, he came alongside us in our vulnerability and he offers healing and transformation.

Tonight I watched "Songs of Praise" because it was recorded in Bradford where I was stationed as a probationer Minister.

Among those interviewed was a Franciscan nun who told us that she had been a speed skater and had competed in the winter olymics coming 6th in the world. But she felt unsettled, felt that there was more to life than the fame she could achieve through sport and so responded to the call of Christ. Now she lives in a community in Bradford and works among the people there.

And then we heard from Ben and Kongossi. They came to Britain from the Congo and I met them several years ago when they were speaking at an event in Touchstone. I have never forgotten them or their account of the desperate situation they fled from. Tonight we heard a little of that from these two people of great faith. People who have been sustained by the God who has reached into the depths and is alongside us in our suffering.

Hosanna!

(You can read Stephen Cherry's meditation here)

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