— Midweek Meditations:
thoughts, inspiration and encouragement
from ACF community members —
When my granddaughter comes round to our house she loves looking at our grandfather clock. She points to it, sways from side to side saying tick-tock, tick-tock, and then beams. There’s something comforting about the sound and her movement. She also loves reading a book her mother read as a child: The day the clocks stopped by William Geldard. Its main character is Timothy Tumblespring whose job is to make sure everything happens at the right time. The south wind, however, plays a trick on Timothy. It blows a gentle, soporific breeze causing Timothy to fall into a long, deep sleep. During that time everything goes haywire, nothing is as it should be: the clocks stop ticking, time, days and seasons all get mixed up. Chaos reigns.
This little book and my granddaughter’s swaying “tick-tock” sounds reminded me of a heartbeat and then, probably as I’m following the #Live Lent, God’s Story, our Story, it got me thinking about how often our lives are out of sync with God’s story, with God’s heartbeat.
How many times have we planned to set aside a time to pray, but found time has run away and we have postponed our plans till later? Or said a short prayer to ease our conscience and rushed off to work, to an appointment, to the gym or to the supermarket.
Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock
Do not be anxious about anything,
Philippians 4. 6-8
but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Or, have you ever put off visiting or calling a friend or neighbor, because you have something more pressing to do? “I’ll do that tomorrow – I’ll have more time then.” But, unfortunately, time turns out to be tight the next day too as you have so much to do.
Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.
Mark 12. 28-31
If we make spending time with God our main priority, rather than something we squeeze in to our busy daily schedule, it can be life changing. By setting aside a certain time each day to spend wholly with God, shutting out all other distractions, we may discover where God’s story and our story meld. This special time with God can change the pace of our lives, opening our eyes and hearts to see the world and the people around us from a different perspective, from God’s perspective. Maybe our vision will then be transformed
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12.2
The rush and hectic has gone, the chaos has gone… We hear God’s heartbeat, but not our own – because they are one.
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
Freiburg Anglican Church 
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