God is near

Approaches

When thou turn’st away from ill,

Christ is this side of thy hill.

When thou turnest towards good,

Christ is walking in thy wood.

When thy heart says, ‘Father, pardon!’

Then the Lord is in thy garden.

When stern Duty wakes to watch,

Then his hand is on the latch.

But when Hope thy song doth rouse,

Then the Lord is in the house.

When to love is all thy wit,

Christ doth at thy table sit.

When God’s will is thy heart’s pole,

Then is Christ thy very soul

George MacDonald

1824-1905

In the gospel of St Thomas, an account that did not make the canon of scripture, we find Jesus saying: "I am the All. Cleave a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up a stone, and You will find Me there.” And then in Matthew 18:20 Jesus assures us by saying “For where two or three are gathered, there I am among them.” But how do we realise this wonderful truth in out daily lives? Well its has much to do with the idea that we are all in this together.

Jesus assures us he is present when people are gathered in his name. Perhaps we should pray in gratitude for those who join us in the name of Jesus, and who make him present in our lives and our world.

Because Jesus shares his own spirit with us, the connection between the community of believers and Jesus is very close: what we bind or loose here is bound or loosed in heaven, and whatever we ask in union will be given to us by the Father. Perhaps today is the time to ask for this insight and for a stronger faith in the presence of Jesus in the midst of the Church.

Prayer

Lord, as we lift our eyes up to the mountains, we ask, from where does my help come? Help us to cry out, our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Help us to understand that we need not look to the mountains or valleys, or even heaven or earth, For you Lord are found among us. Help us to take to heart that where two or three are gathered in your name, you are is here