Loving God this is a picture of children,
Your children,
Anywhere and everywhere.
Your children comforting each other,
Enfolding and sharing.
We, as adults, look and make warm comments:
‘How lovely’, ‘ Look at them’.
Yet how often as adults do we long to hold another
Just for comfort,
To enfold and bless with touch?
Yet we refrain.
This is suitable for children, not us,
And too often we step back from this
Most gentle, warm embrace
With odd embarrassment.
We have learnt to limit our instinctive
Reaching out.
Oh, gracious Lord, forgive us
For misunderstandings and misinterpretations
Of the very human gift of warm embrace.
Loving Lord you spoke to Mary in the garden and asked her
Not to cling.
Does that not tell us that she was used to giving you
A warm hug;
Now and again?
We may all have to learn to let go,
As she did,
Yet we need to remember that comfort
Is a very tactile gift,
When words are not enough.
Please help us all to see your face
When we embrace,
And offer warmth and comfort.
For the love of Christ
Amen Hazel Parsons
Reading: Matthew 19:13-15; John 20:11-18
SthF 510 Says Jesus, ‘Come gather round….’
