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Crowe where the troubled-world can gather
and broken hearts can mend.
Crowe, where His love comes ever closer
and the Spirit can descend.
Crowe, where Jesus walks beside you
in the guise of a friend.
SUNSHINE CROWNS CROWE
After a misty start to the day, the 24 Church folk soon found the sun bursting upon an exciting 'away-day' centred upon the theme: 'Jesus himself - walked along with them'. In a Chapel which began with one of Wesley's preachers speaking beneath 'the Great Oak' in 1833, it seemed appropriate to begin with our founder's words: "What a drudgery is the service of God, unless I love the God whom I serve. And how is it possible I should know God, unless he makes himself known unto me?". Do we make time to allow God to make himself known unto us?. Or, as Tom Stuckey warned, do we 'make our God too small', by wrapping him up in the way we have always done things?.
Having sung ‘To be in Your presence’, we set off to explore God's world, full of the deepest green, the richest harvest, and the boldest bird-song.Returning to the Chapel and sharing thoughts, we heard our leader refer again to John Wesley. This time it was the effect of his powerful preachingupon the miners on a mount overlooking the Avon, so powerful that their tears washed the coal-dust off their faces. Yet we sometimes struggle to find the right word - it is then we can comfort ourselves that the Bible puts 'deeds before words'.
After our lunch we returned to the Chapel, to listen to a new leader remind us that, in order to walk with Jesus, we need to make time to listen for him, to look for him and feel his presence. Sometimes very close, sometimes very distant. But we should never forget that Jesus is always there, walking with us. Even when we cannot pray - there will be others to pray for us. As we walked out into the gloriously warm sunshine of a New Forest afternoon, the words of: 'Walk on' were to be heard urging us onward.
An afternoon sat in the garden at Crowe listening to Nancy playing a selection of hymns, is as close as you can get to heaven. After 'Finlandia' had enthralled us, we returned, once more, to the Chapel, to be taken on a journey of imagination. We were walking home to Emmaus - passing along the way some villagers, merchants and a Roman troop. We hardly noticed the traveller who had joined us. Suddenly we recognise him as Jesus. He walks with each one of us, in different ways, but he goes with us.
Then we stood in a half circle to experience a Wesleyian 'love feast'. The loving cup passed around, the blessing of one another, the quiet ticking of the clock, the chirp of bird song. A moment of peace, of loving one another, of being in His presence.
Next year's diary date?. Saturday September 13th.
Many thanks to Helen, Kathy and John, and all who made the day special.
Brian.
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