St Johns with St Barnabas

What shape are you in?

 

Hello everyone, I’ve been thinking about what to write this month. You may remember my friend Rosie seems to think I am an eternal question box. She could be right; I was recently pondering which is the most balanced, a three legged stool or a four legged chair. Thank goodness for the internet - I was right, it was the three legged stool. That led me on to which is the strongest shape, a circle, a square or a triangle.

Now I expect you already know the answer, but in case not, it’s the triangle. The triangle is the most stable shape and can therefore withstand the most stress, not that I can give you the mathematics for that. Very apt for Trinity Sunday when we think about Father Son and Holy Spirit, three in one and one in three, but that’s not quite where I am going.

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I was thinking of our everyday lives, our encounters with others, our church community, our families, be those far or near, our friends, work colleagues, even those we are not so fond of! In all of our relationships we need to remember three things, we can look up, look in, look out and as with most things it’s good to have a balance.

Thinking about the strong triangle then that can stand up to all the stresses and strains, we could ask ourselves three questions.

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1. Looking up. How is my relationship with God/Jesus? Am I still growing in love for him, meeting with Him each day? Do I experience Him and his peace in my ordinary everyday living?

2. Looking out. How are my relationships with others? Am I quick to forgive, do I try to follow Jesus’ example especially with those I don’t like so much? How quick am I to judge? Am I actively sharing the love of God with others through words and actions?

3. Looking in. Am I sharing with other Christians, encouraging them, being supportive as we journey together in faith?

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To be balanced, the triangle needs to have an equal tension each side; so too do we or we go out of shape and become vulnerable. So here’s the last question, WHAT SHAPE ARE YOU IN?

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Jesus of course was our perfect example, so we will give him the last word. Jesus said, love God, love your neighbour as you would love yourself. Amen.