Forgotten?

That was forty years ago, but those two still from time to time say, “Remember when our parents forgot us?” If an incident that lasted under three hours can have such an impact on a life of nearly fifty years, is it any wonder that God goes to such lengths to assure us that we are never forgotten or abandoned by God even if we may think we are? The people of Israel felt that God had forgotten them but God’s reply in Isaiah 49:15,16 reminds us that even if a woman forgets the child she has given birth to, God will never forget us because God has carved us on the palm of God’s hand.

An ad on TV has a small boy separated from his mother in a shopping mall. He looks distressed and begins to cry. The caption reads, “If he is this upset at losing her for a few minutes, image what it would be like for him to lose her for life.”

Jean was recovering from a cold and she and Rosy had finished for the day by about 4pm, so they told the men they were heading home to have the evening meal ready for them when they arrived. Nearly three hours later, the men arrived home and they realised nobody had the children. They were just beginning to panic when the phone rang and a small voice said to Jean who had answered it, “Mummy, we can’t find you. Where are you?”

The reading from Acts reminds us that in God we live and move and have our being. If this is so, it is impossible for God to abandon us. Elizabeth Barrett Browning puts it this way, “Earth’s crammed with heaven and every common bush afire with God; but only those who see take off their shoes; the rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.” In many ways, we are conditioned to focus on the blackberries rather than the bush. Our materialistic culture encourages us to see what is in this for us instead of seeing the fruit as a sign that the bush is aflame with God, that earth is crammed with heaven and precious to God.

For many it is easier to believe life on earth is hell. For many the worries and cares of life are crushing the life out of them. They are weighed down by grief, need and debts unaware of how the Spirit cares. These are times when all we can do is cling to the words of Jesus, “I will not leave you orphaned.” [John 17:18] and of Paul, “In God we live and move and have our being,” [Act 17:28]

Rev Julianne Parker