Sue led our meeting today and intrigued us all by saying it would be an “upside down” time!

Sue read Psalm 63 introducing her theme for the afternoon where we thought about putting God first, thirsting for Him and allowing Jesus to be the centre of our lives,  Her song choices reflected that.

We commenced with the vesper (May the Lord, bless you and keep you), which we normally sing at the end and Sue showed us a frame with a hidden word that she had prepared which when turned upside down, read the word ‘Stones’.

We heard the story of Lazarus and the miracle of his resurrection.  Yet, we learned that Jesus tarried even though Lazarus was sick much to the dismay of Mary and Martha. Why did Jesus delay His coming to His friend? So that God would be glorified, Mary and Martha and the villagers would believe, they would glorify God and they would trust God for the future. But they had to do something really important – they were told to “Take away the stone”.

Jesus is looking for a willing response! He wants us to see and believe.  Do we see miracles in our own lives? Is there a stone or stones in our lives that stand in the way of us moving on and being blessed by God?

To help us understand, Sue brought 5 types of stones and a picture of a cross.

Fossils. The fossils were and are fixed in the stones, some perhaps over millions of years! Are we stuck in a comfort zone with an inability to change? Do we feel threatened and frightened by new things and ideas? Roll away the stone and place it at the foot of the cross!

Precious gem. This could be something important to us, attractive, beautiful, comforting and pleasing. It could be something that takes up a lot or too much of our time, something that we love more than God! Do we need to reappraise and put this at the foot of the cross?

Heavy stone. Are we carrying a burden, a worry, some anxiety, fear or even guilt over something in our past or present which weighs us down? Take it to the foot of the cross!

Ugly black stone. Sue handled this stone and her hands turned black! This is a stark reminder that sin separates us from God but also has far-reaching effects on those around us! Keep going to the foot of the cross!

White stone. Looked fine from the outside but Sue showed us that some of the inside was black. This represents those little white lies, gossip, angry and unkind words – those little things which perhaps don’t add up to much but are not ok.  Drop them at the foot of the cross!

The imagery that Sue brought to us was really powerful and we were encouraged to take the initiative, to roll away the stone, to believe and trust in God for a miracle and to see what God will do in our lives.