The following started off life as a school assembly which my curate and I have been delivering in our 3 church schools in various ways to pupils in groups ranging from Year 1 to Year 8. The big change for me is that I can no longer do a ‘one size fits all’ assembly, ie whole school and that what I have been doing for years has to change.
I then used the school assembly as the basis of a newspaper article – a local paper’s Church Corner. It then became the letter for the October church magazine with extra bits added.
So I hope you find my reflections on change helpful.
The rule of 6 was introduced this week: yet another change in our lives that we don’t particularly want. It’s another step along this uncertain time of pandemic. We have experienced many changes in the last 6 months: lockdown, toilet paper shortages, a new meaning for the word ‘bubble’ not to mention social distancing and wearing face masks. Work and school conditions have changed too.
In many ways, change is a normal part of life, eg the seasons of the year and getting older. We expect and accept those changes, even if we don’t like them.
How do you feel about change? Is it an enjoyable challenge or a worry? Do you resist anything different? Some people say that if you are positive about change and decide to make it an opportunity for something good then you will feel better about it.
You could argue that the only thing in life you can depend upon is that change will happen, but I disagree with this, in a way. Life may be variable but God is a constant. We can depend upon him not to change. God created the world and it may perish but he remains the same. I believe that Jesus came to show us how much God cares for us and wants to be with us through all the changes in our lives by living as one of us. And as it says in Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” We can depend upon him to be with us, like a faithful friend.
I’m reminded of an old pop song, which I’ve slightly re-worded: When you’re down and troubled, and you need a helping hand and nothing is going right. Close your eyes and think of Jesus and soon he will be there to brighten up even your darkest nights. You just call out his name, and you know wherever you are He’ll be there. Winter, spring, summer, or fall, all you have to do is call and Jesus will be there. You’ve got a friend, who will never let you down and will help you when you ask to see you through the changes in life.
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So whatever changes you are facing, I hope this blog post has helped. The various pictures were ones I used in the school assemblies.
Elizabeth Jones' Diary 